


Anew

by Steph_R94



Category: Ghost Hunt
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-08-04 02:53:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 68,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16338455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Steph_R94/pseuds/Steph_R94
Summary: Two months before Naru’s return from England, Mai made the decision to start anew with her boss and his brother—without telling either of them. With every case, her relationships with the brothers grows; but she’s not the only one changing perception.((3/1/2019:: More content now in Chapter 7!))





	1. File 17: The Haunting at Shinji Orphanage, pt. 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Ghost Hunt belongs to Fuyumi Ono and Shiho Inada.

**Shibuya Paranormal Research**

**October 15**

            Mai Taniyama sat at her desk, idly swinging her feet back and forth as she read over yet another request for their aid. Her handwriting had become neater over the time she had worked here; her short-hand more legible. Sometimes, like now, the calls came in too quickly for Mai to write down her own thoughts and feelings on the case.

            This one she didn’t have to use her intuition to know that it was a prank. A young boy had called implying that his toilet was haunted. That was a red flag enough, but then he continued and said that it talked to him. Mai rolled her eyes. She had stopped writing right about there and chewed the little punk out for wasting her time. By the time, Mai hung up the phone the young boy—and his friends who had predictably began to shout “oh” teasingly whenever Mai had unleashed on him—had been stuttering out apologies that Mai didn’t really care to hear. Mai tore the page out of her notebook, crumbled it up, and tossed it in the bin.

            She was distracted by a voice filtering through her boss’ door, “Mai, tea.” Despite herself, her lips quirked up into a smile as she stood up to do as he asked. In the three months Naru and Lin had been gone to England, Yasuhara had been left in charge of the business—along with Madoka Mori temporarily—and he frequently imitated Naru’s mannerisms. By the time Naru returned, Yasu had gotten Naru’s monotone request for tea down pat. With an amused smile, Mai stood up from her chair and walked into the kitchen to make his tea. As she filled the tea kettle with cold water and turned on the stove to heat it, she let her mind wander to the past months.

            After Naru had departed for England, she was hurt—both by his dismissal of her feelings and by herself. Guilt for her mistake and confusion over her feelings had left her with an ache she had no way of alieving for a long time. So, she hadn’t reacted nicely to Yasu’s little joke at the time; but talking with John—really, it had turned into him simply listening to her voice her pain down a silent phone line—had helped her come to terms with her own heart.

           She did like Naru and Gene, but she didn’t love either of the twins. Her affection for Gene had been based on superficial feelings and assumption; she had projected Naru onto him; and likewise, she had projected some of Gene’s behavior onto Naru. She had assumed they were one in the same; and the guilt of that had threatened to overwhelm her.

           So, with John’s help, she slowly taught herself how to start over with both men. It had been difficult, but Mai had steadily peeled the layers she had erroneously placed over both of them. At the end of the process, all that was left was who they were when she had known them; and she discovered she hadn’t really known either of them. Her conversations with Gene had been shorter than any interaction she had with Naru; the only time she saw Gene was in her dreams. Though she felt affection for Gene, he was a stranger to her. The person she had liked was _truly_ Naru because she had never seen Gene for himself; but she didn’t really know Naru either. The entire time she was working with them, there had been a shroud of mystery around him—a wall that she could never breech. She had known that Naru had a hidden kindness, that he was capable of softness; she knew that he was very intelligent and confident and held himself to a standard higher than those around him. She knew the good in him and knew the bad; but she didn’t really _know_ him.

           So, Mai decided to start over with both of them. So far, it was going well.

           She didn’t have many chances to talk to Gene outside of their information sharing moments, but he did talk to her in the cases sometimes. Their friendship was slow moving; Mai got the impression that he had some idea about what she was doing. He looked amused whenever she asked him about himself after the information had been shared, but he humored her. They never talked very long because of the nature of their meetings.

           Naru was a similar story, but for different reasons than Gene. Conversing with Naru went the same way as it always had—teasing comments and banter but nothing substantial; but she felt that they were closer for her confession. Her unspoken feelings no longer clouded the air between them; and her own introspection had helped alleviate any hurt feelings. She was seeing him as she should be, free of romantic coloring, and she was proud of herself for it.  

           The whistle of the kettle pulled her temporarily out of her thoughts. She removed the kettle from the stove eye and set it on the cooled eye beside it. Reaching up into the cabinet, she removed the standard tea set—a white teapot, cups, the small tea strainer, and tray. Next, she got the tea grains down. She removed the small lid on the teapot, put the strainer against the opening, and loaded it with the correct amount of tea grain; then, she grabbed the kettle and began to seep the grain with the steaming water. Once the tea pot was filled to the correct level, Mai emptied the remaining water in the kettle into the sink and replaced it onto the stove. Naru would call for tea again once this pot was empty. She loaded the tea pot and a cup onto the tray and walked toward his office door. She didn’t bother knocking. She simply hipped the door open. Naru glanced up at her and moved some papers away from the edge of the desk so that she could set the tray down.

           “Thanks,” Mai said, setting the tray down vertically at the edge of his desk. She poured the first cup of tea for him and watched as he took a sip. Whenever he showed no signs of dislike, she smiled. Naru raised a brow at her grin. “Call me again whenever you’re out of tea,” Mai said, cutting off whatever smart comment he had ready for her. She had hardly made it to the door whenever he called:

           “What, don’t want to stare at my face anymore?” 

           “Does my disinterest hurt your pride?” Mai returned with a cheeky smile as she closed the door. She heard a snort through the door and Naru’s mutter of “ _hardly_ ”, but allowed him the last word. That was another thing that had changed over the few months they were gone. Along with helping her with school, Yasuhara had helped her with her bantering, her cleverness. 

            The door had just closed behind her, whenever the bell above the office door dinged announcing someone’s entrance. A young man with short blond hair and dark brown eyes stood uncertainly in the lobby. He wore a simple, if not expensive, school uniform; but he looked timid, unsure—which honestly wasn’t surprising. Most of their would-be clients looked this way whenever they walked in to their office.  

            “Welcome to SPR, how may I help you?” Mai asked.

            “My name is Wakaba Heisuke. Um…my family owns an orphanage and I’m worried it’s well…haunted.” He wasn’t unsure in his words, just his delivery was stunted. The fingers of his left hand kept twisting and pulling at the small white button on the cuff of his right sleeve. “Things…have been happening since we decided to reopen…”

            “One second, please. Mr. Wakaba. I need to notify my boss that you’re here,” Mai interrupted him gently.

            “O-Oh,” Heisuke stuttered. “Of course.” His fingers started plucking at the button a little more frantically. Mai sighed inaudibly as she turned away from him. He was going to pull that button off before their interviews were over. Whatever was happening at that orphanage had unraveled this guy; Mai felt for him. She moved to Naru’s door and tapped on the wood.

            “We have a client, boss,” she announced, reopening the door. He was already standing. Mai blinked. He must have heard the bell. As he walked out to greet their client, Mai lifted her recently put down tray. Being careful of his still full teacup, Mai followed him out and set the tea tray down onto the coffee table. She caught Heisuke’s eye as she did so and smiled reassuringly. The young man eased himself down onto the couch after Naru’s calm insistence that he do so. Before Naru could sit down, Mai moved to her desk and grabbed her small recorder off of the desktop.

            “Is it alright with you if this conversation is recorded, Mr. Wakaba?” Mai asked. Heisuke blinked.

            “Yes,” he consented. Mai smiled reassuringly and set the recorder down onto the table in clear view. She pressed the record button as Naru introduced himself to the teen.

            “I am Shibuya Kazuya; I head SPR. The man next to me is Koujo Lin. What seems to be the problem?”   

            “My name is Wakaba Heisuke,” he introduced himself uncertainly. He was clearly shaken by Naru’s introduction and bedside manner. His eyes instantly sought out Mai, who had taken a seat beside Heisuke. She smiled and motioned for him to go on. “My mother and I live behind our old orphanage. For the last five years, it’s just sat there empty; and my mother never seemed to care. But five months ago, she started talking about reopening it.” Heisuke’s brows furrowed. “That in itself was strange given the orphanage’s history and my mom’s feelings toward it; but I went along with it.”

           “The orphanage’s history?” Naru questioned. Heisuke frowned. His blue eyes became haunted; Mai felt a chill shiver down her spine like a pair of cold fingers walking down her vertebra. Whatever Heisuke was about to say was going to be bad.    

           “My father committed suicide by cop after he killed a teenage girl in one of the top bedrooms.” Heisuke said bluntly. Mai felt the breath leave her in a puff. “We found out after—through investigation—that he had been molesting a number of young girls that were in his care. The night in question he had been attempting to assault the young girl that was staying in that room, but the teenager had interrupted him and allowed the girl time to escape. She went to the police. But by that time it was too late. My father had already beaten the teen to death in a fit of rage and was waiting for them in the front lawn with a shotgun. Whenever he refused to put the gun down, they shot him.”

        “That’s terrible,” Mai breathed. Her entire body felt cold and heavy. She didn’t really care about the twisted man so much as she was moved for the girls. Through the haze of emotion, something about his story seemed familiar. Mai swallowed.

        “Shinji Orphanage,” Mai said softly, “that’s the place you’re talking about, isn’t it?” Heisuke nodded. “I was only eleven at the time, but I remember the news reports.”

        “Fortunately, I was sparred those. My mother would kept me shielded from the true details of my father’s crimes for years. It wasn’t until recently that she shared with me the truth.” Heisuke admitted. “Given its history, you can see why I thought it was strange that my mother would wish to reopen.” Mai nodded. Heisuke took a sip of his tea. During the small silence, she looked toward Naru. Despite the shocking nature of Heisuke’s story, his face gave away nothing. She couldn’t tell yet if the case had peaked his interest, but it certainly had hers.

        “What about this made you come to us?” Naru asked.

        “The orphanage has fallen into disrepair. So, there is a lot of work that needs to be done, but every time we try anything, something goes wrong. Cleaning appliances quit randomly; tools just shut off mid activity with the plug still in the wall and won’t come back on. At first, I just passed if off as electrical problems and helped the crew run an electrical cord from the house; the tools would work outside, but the moment we tried to bring them inside the same thing would happen. But lately…it’s escalated.”

        “One of the construction crew members stayed late, trying to finish the floor on the second level. It’s incredibly rotted so we had it torn up and replaced. He only had a small section left and he was in front of that room and he said he heard something like a young woman crying. Whenever he peered into the room, he swears he saw a young girl sitting on the floor; but whenever he called out to her, she vanished. At first, I thought he was just trying to scare us out of rebuilding. It wouldn’t be the first time someone on the construction crew tried to dissuade us. It’s a big building, needs a lot of work, and some of the men don’t really believe it would be worth it; but my mother won’t budge. She wants the original building….”

         “What changed your mind?” Naru asked, attempting to turn the direction of the conversation back to the possible spirit. Heisuke sighed deeply.

         “About a week later, I saw her too.” He admitted. “After that man’s story, a lot of the men were spooked and didn’t want to work during the night. So, I offered to clean up after them if they worked until close to sunset. I would pack their tools away and load them into the shed outside so as long as they continued working. I was packing up the saw whenever I heard something creak upstairs.”

          “I went up to investigate, thinking that maybe another rodent or something had slipped in. I didn’t see anything until I got to the room at the end of the hall. It was the same room the construction worker had been in front of. Only I went inside, thinking maybe a rat was underneath one of the beds. The door slammed behind me and I could hear a wailing sound that built and built until it was screaming.” Heisuke’s breathe quickened. Mai reached over and laid her hand over his. A small blush colored his pale cheeks, but his breathing calmed down. Mai squeezed his hand gently before removing it. Heisuke took a moment to gather himself and then continued, “I covered my ears to try and block out the sound and I must have closed my eyes on instinct. The screaming stopped, so I opened my eyes and there she was. Standing right in front of me, looking livid….then she was gone.”

           “Has your mother seen this spirit?” Naru asked.

           “If she has, she hasn’t told me,” Heisuke said. “But…strange things had been happening to her as well. Mostly, cleaning appliances will malfunction, but she did have the vacuum bag explode in our first week cleaning up. Whenever we searched, we found nothing that could have made it do so. No nails, no glass, no wood. Just dirt. It had been a brand new bag so age wasn’t the case…and then, about a week ago, she was pulled into one of the rooms. She wouldn’t tell me much more other than that.” Naru frowned. Mai could see that his interest was certainly piqued, but she knew what was holding him back: the potential media involvement. Mai sighed.   

            It felt like every night for a month, there was a story about Shinji Orphanage on the TV. Late one night in December, Mitsuki Tokine brought in a child she had found on the road. The girl was only wearing a ripped shirt and a pair of panties in the frigid air…and the story she had to tell police and hospital officials was downright chilling. Shinji Akito, head of Shinji Orphanage, had been molesting and raping the young girls that came through his orphanage. The young child had said that only the murdered teen, Cecilia, had stood up for them. After that, other girls had come forward with the similar stories; some from the orphanage and others that had already aged out or been taken in by families. All of the accounts had inspired an investigation into the orphanage and its owners.

            His wife, Shinji Yuna, had claimed to not know anything about her husband’s sick actions and none of the accounts indicated that she had any knowledge or part in it. The night of the murder/suicide, she had been at the hospital with their son. About a week after, another news story came to light about the Shinji family that gave credibility to the wife’s claims of ignorance. Traces of rat poison had been found in the son’s system. Shinji had been poisoning his son to get his family out of the house. There was some indication that Yuna had also been dosed, but it was never actually proven.  

            The repeated news stories had started a general feeling of mistrust for self-owned orphanages; and not just with the child services reps, but with the children too. A lot of the orphans that had been at Shinji orphanage had ran away rather than be sent to another.  

            With all of the trouble, all of the stigma surrounding the Shinji Orphanage, Mai was flabbergasted to learn that the family wanted to reopen it. Good intentions aside, the reopening would bring the news story back to the forefront of everyone’s minds. Which likely meant their investigation would encounter reporters. Naru always turned down cases that could put him in the path of the media; but…but the wife and son had done nothing wrong and opening up their orphanage could possibly help in the long run. A lot of churches in the area were filled to capacity. If they could actually get the public to trust in self-run orphanages again…       

            “Have you made the reopening public knowledge?” Mai asked, hoping the answer would convince Naru. Heisuke shook his head.  

“We haven’t made the reopening public yet. You won’t encounter a lot of media and we will remain firmly out of the way.” Mai blinked when she found Naru’s eyes looking back at her. One brow raised. Mai nodded.

             “We’ll take the case,” Naru said. “Please send all of your contact information and the address to the orphanage to my assistant. We will need a large room with a decent amount of outlets to serve as our base, and two other rooms for our team to stay in.”

            “Of course.” Heisuke agreed. Mai moved to her desk and picked up her business card. How weird, right? At 17, Mai had a business card. Granted, all it said was that she was an investigator for SPR, her email, and her phone number. She handed it to Heisuke with a smile. “Thank you again.”

X

            “Naru, I’ve got your tea!” Mai called through the office door as she opened it. Naru set down the book he had been reading and fixed her with a slightly bemused look. She didn’t let it deter her. She set the tray down on the edge of his desk.

            “I didn’t call for any,” he told her, still eying her.  

            “I know. I know. But you will, and I need to talk to you about the case,” Mai explained as she poured the tea. “It would be easier to tell you about the news coverage now rather than later; plus, it would save Yasu the work.”  

            “Lin,” Naru called. As they both waited for Lin to come to them, Mai sank down onto the one of the armchairs in front of his desk. Lin came in promptly, but he didn’t sit. He stood at the door with his notepad and a pen, ready to record whatever new information Mai gave them.  

            “The murder/suicide at Shinji Orphanage was pretty high profile when it happened. Almost every news station was covering some angle of it. You couldn’t turn on the television without seeing it.”

            “What do you know?” Naru asked.

            “The head of the orphanage, Shinji Akito, had been sexually assaulting the younger girls in the orphanage. But that didn’t become public knowledge until after the story. One of the girls—whose name was never released to the paper—escaped him one night in December and was picked up by their neighbor, Mitsuki Tokine, and brought to the hospital. The police were called because she was in hysterics. When they arrived on the property, they found Shinji waiting for them. He committed suicide by cop; he forced them to open fire on him by refusing to drop his weapon. When they entered the house on the second floor, they found the body of a teenage girl. Her name was later released: Cecilia Evans. He had beaten her to death.”

            “What was known about Cecilia?” Naru asked.

            “Um,” Mai tapped her finger to her lower lip as she racked her brain for the details. She had followed the story closely back then; and, just now, she had given herself a brief refresher on the news story via Google. “She was fifteen and had been with the orphanage since she was three years old. Other than that, there isn’t much on public record about her; but the girls did say that she was always the one to protect them from Shinji. They also implied that she was one of his first victims as well. So it wouldn’t be a stretch to think that Cecilia was trying to prevent the reopening.”

            “That’s true,” Naru agreed. “I’m not happy with the previous media storm that surrounded the orphanage; but as long as he is true to what he says and no one has been notified yet, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

            “I don’t think Heisuke would lie about that. He seems really worried,” Mai reassured. ‘ _But…I can’t tell if he’s more worried about the haunting or if it’s his mother that is scaring him the most. I can see why he would be concerned…it does seem odd that she would be willing to reopen the orphanage after all of the scandal around it…’_ “It would probably be a good idea for us to keep an eye on the mother.” She thought aloud, then flushed as Naru focused on her intently.

            “Why?” He asked. Mai pursed her lips.

            “It’s a little odd, don’t you think? She was willing to let it go to ruin, but then…she just decides to reopen? Not only that, she seems adamant that the original building be preserved despite the hefty amount of work needed on it. The whole thing just feels wrong.”

            “I think so to,” Naru admitted.   

X

 **Shinji Orphanage**  
December 10  
5 Years Ago

            Little bare feet darted into the woods. She could hear the screams of rage and the cries of pain behind her. Each time she thought of turning back, she heard the older girl’s desperate cry of _“Run!”_ echoing in her head. Cecilia had bought her time; she needed to use it wisely. She was certain the other children would hear the noise and come to help Cecilia. She needed to help her in this way. The police could help. She just needed to find a phone.

            The ice tipped tree limbs tore at her skin, leaving icy trails of pain in their wake; her feet were beginning to ache from the constant contact with the cold snow; and her legs prickled smartly from the chill of night; but she didn’t dare stop. The longer she was out here, the longer Cecilia was alone with _him_.

Tears stung her eyes. He was the head of the orphanage. He was supposed to care for the children, nurture them until they could find families of their own…but instead, he was hurting them. Or, at least, he was hurting the girls. Child services had promised her she would be safe there. They had promised them all. Yet, they hadn’t been.

She crashed through the tree line and stumbled onto the asphalt. Headlights lit the road in front of her. Before she could scramble to her feet and out of the way, the car screeched to a halt. A car door opened as the young girl stood up.

            The abrupt stop had made her aware of how cold she really was. The pain in her body had set in as she looked up at the woman exiting the car. She didn’t recognize her….and that filled her with relief. It wasn’t Mrs. Shinji. Despite the aching of her body and the stiffness in her toes, she would have still tried to run. She didn’t want to be taken back.   

            “What are you doing out here?!” The woman started angrily as she squinted against the headlights. The sound of the lady’s voice threatened to send her to the ground in relief. It really wasn’t Mrs. Shinji. “Oh my god!” The sound of heels clacking against the asphalt told her than the woman had broken out into a run. Warm hands grasped her shoulders. “You’re freezing! You poor thing, come on. I’ll take you home.”

            “P-p-police station,” the little girl got out through chattering teeth. She didn’t have a home anymore…and that place definitely wasn’t home.

            “Right….” There was a pause and suddenly more warmth and fleece draped over her shoulders. She pulled the coat tighter around her shivering frame. “I think you need to go to the hospital first,” the woman suggested. The relief of the warmth on her chilled shoulders was enough to almost buckle her; but she couldn’t let it change her mind.

            She was safe, but Cecilia and the other girls weren’t.

            “No! C-Cecilia is c-counting on me.”

            “Ce,” the woman paused and shook her head, “I’ll call the police on the way to the hospital; how does that sound?” Gentle hands steered her toward the car.

            “O-Okay.”

            “Great.” Lady helped her into the passenger seat. She nearly cried at how warm the leather felt against her cold skin. It burned in a way she knew wasn’t normal, but she couldn’t help but feel relief. The warm air burned every inch of her skin it touched; her feet especially felt hot, but she didn’t begrudge it. It was warmth after so long out in the snow. It was safety after a night of terror. The buckle of the seatbelt felt rough and harsh against her irritated skin, but the woman worked fast. Soon, she was in the driver’s seat and putting the car in drive. “Now can you tell me where you came from?”

            “Shinji Orphanage.”

            “I see.” The girl could tell that she did. “And your name?”

            “Higurashi Kimi.”  


	2. File 17: The Haunting at Shinji Orphanage, pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mai and the rest of SPR start their investigation into Shinji Orphanage. It's only the first day, but the activity has already started. Or at least, Mai's dreams have started; most of the time, they don't even wait for her to sleep. Leaving the crew to wonder: are they really dreams?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Ghost Hunt belongs to Fuyumi Ono and Shiho Inada.
> 
> Warning: Skip the dream sequence after Mai and the others have settled in for the night if you want to avoid the sexual assault/rape. I tried to keep it as tame and vague as I could, but it still may be triggering for some.

**October 16  
Day 1**

           Mai’s first glimpse of the orphanage from the van was a startling one. _‘When Heisuke said disrepair, he wasn’t kidding…’_ The white, wind damaged siding was peeling in places from age and exposure. The windows were in such a state that Mai knew no one would be opening them. Just the slightest pressure and the glass would likely shatter outward. The door was the only thing that looked sturdy. The thought of staying in such a place sent chills down her spine. How on earth did Mrs. Wakaba think she could save this place?

          “Maybe it’s better on the inside?” Mai voiced reluctantly. Naru raised an eyebrow at her comment, but he didn’t say anything. Mai liked to think he was as surprised as she was by just how bad the place looked. Lin pulled the van up to the front of the gravel driveway and parked. As soon as he killed the engine, Mai and Naru were both departing the vehicle. Though for different reasons, Mai was certain. The long drive had caused a cramp in her legs that she needed to stretch out; Naru likely just wanted to get a better look at the orphanage.

          A step outside the van revealed things that had slipped past Mai’s notice originally. Just behind the tree where Lin had parked, there was an aged shed made of mostly brick. The wooden door was standing wide open and revealed a bunch of construction equipment and what looked to be a roll of flooring. _‘Where Heisuke stores the construction workers' things…’_ Mai noted. _‘Probably best to store them outside of the house….just in case.’_

          Mai moved closer to the shed to inspect the inside. Closer, she could see a fine layer of dust over everything inside. _‘So, the construction workers haven’t come back…even to retrieve their tools? Heisuke didn’t say anything about activity outside the house. It’s more likely that they just got spooked by all of the sightings and swore off any further work.’_ Mai thought. ‘But why didn’t they start outside first?’ She wondered as she turned around to face the house. The side of the house looked no better than the front. She could see straight through a broken window into the living room. Mai frowned and moved closer. _‘Yup, that’s furniture. She just…left the furniture to rot?’_ Mai looked up at the second story. _‘At least the windows up there look like they’re in better condition. Ugh…do we have to stay here though? It’s creepy and probably unsanitary! But the closest hotel is like…fifteen miles back the way we came. There’s no way Naru would be willing to make that kind of drive every day…’_ Mai sighed. 

          “Mai.” Mai nearly jumped out of her skin at her boss’ voice. She poked her head around the side of the house to see Naru and Lin waiting for her in front of the orphanage. Lin looked impassive; Naru, impatient, as always.  

          “The construction workers haven’t been here for some time,” Mai told them as she came closer. “All of their tools are in the shed, gathering dust.” She pursed her lips. “I can’t really blame them though with what they’ve seen. Aside from that, all of the furniture is still inside. The couch and all of that in the living room looks atrocious. I hope mildew poisoning is on our insurance, Naru.”

          “You don’t get poisoned from mildew, Mai,” Naru informed. The exasperation in her name made her feel as though he thought her incredibly daft. “It’s an allergy that causes most people to get sick.”

          “Well, excuse me, Mr. Know-It-All….” She trailed off. The closer Mai got to the front door and her boss, the more off she felt. Her footsteps slowed as her stomach began to turn. She felt sick…and the air felt so heavy, like she couldn’t breathe. Every instinct inside of her told her to turn around. The hair on her arms and neck rose up and she found her feet coming to a stop just inches from the tree and a foot from Naru and Lin. Her eyes locked onto a spot just sheltered by the wood but still on the gravel. _‘Where Shinji fell,’_ her instincts told her. She had no real way of knowing as the news reports had left the specifics of where Shinji had died out, but she was certain her instincts were correct. Mai could practically see the bloodstains that years of rainwater and snow had washed away still lingering on the ground. Anger and hatred rolled upward and extended out, tainting everything near it. The feelings at the moment of death clung to the gravel and seemed to darken the life of the tree beside her. The hate and rage was clouding her senses, pulling her deeper into the trance.  A laugh—deep and twisted—grated against her and along with it came the feeling that she was being watched, studied. Mai pulled her eyes away from the gravel and looked around. There, standing just inside the kitchen—in broad daylight—was a man; but as quickly as she had seen him, he was gone.

 _‘Shinji stayed too…’_ Mai realized. They really should have called in the others. While Lin did have his shiki and they were effective, he wouldn’t be enough. They need John, Ayako, and Monk.  

            “Mai?” She heard the quiet call of her name close to her. Lin and Naru had joined her in the yard, but when had Naru gotten so close? When had he walked up to her? Disoriented, her eyes locked on to his. Indigo eyes bounced down to her hand. She followed his gaze. Her hand hovered just above his sleeve; fingers posed to grab hold. She blushed and dropped her hand back to her side.

            “Sorry,” she whispered as she clenched her fingers around the hem of her sweater. She could feel Naru’s eyes on her, but didn’t dare look up. Her instincts had been screaming so loudly that she had fallen unaware of her actions. If Naru hadn’t spoken when he did, Mai was certain that she would grabbed him and started pulling him back toward the van. Her face suddenly felt very hot despite the slight cold already stinging her nose.

            Naru studied his petite assistant. Her fingers were relentlessly twisting the bottom of her sweater around her hands and then letting go, repeatedly stretching the already large sweater. The moment she had started toward them, her expression had transformed. While he was no medium, he was familiar with the expression on her face. Miss. Hara and the other mediums he had sat with over the course of his life had made that same face whenever the feelings of a spirit had overwhelmed them. Mai had accidently tuned into the spirit that haunted the orphanage. He would have to have Miss. Hara sit with her soon or send recommendation to his father that she be officially trained.

            Naru didn’t want the last option. Mai wouldn’t handle his suggestion that she leave Japan for training in England very well. It was disrupt her studies more than her work already did and possibly for much longer than a case. Of course, Naru’s reluctance wasn’t just his concern for his assistant’s brain cell count. It was also for his own sanity. If Luella and Martin Davis met Mai, they were likely to get _ideas_ ; and he hadn’t exactly told his mother and father that Gene had chosen not to pass on. For what reason he lingered, Naru didn’t know. He had hoped that Mai would be able to tell him, that Gene had departed such information to her, but so far she was kept in the dark as well.

            Stubborn.

            The both of them.

            But now was not the time to be thinking of his idiot twin brother, Mai was looking more and more distressed by the second.

            “What is it?” He asked; his voice unconsciously soft. Mai pulled her bottom lip into her mouth, teeth snagging the skin. Her reddish brown eyes met his gaze. He felt a small—barely there—flush of pride as he noted the lack of doubt in her. She was certain in what she was about to say.

            “Cecilia’s not alone in the house,” Mai said. “I don’t have any physical proof, but Shinji Akito is here too.” Her eyes drifted away from his for a second time, fixing once more on the patch of gravel she had been staring at earlier. Her dark eyes traced something that he couldn’t see for a moment before a shiver ripped through her small body. “We need to call in the others…” She told him as she wrenched her eyes back to his. Naru nodded; but before he could speak, Mai’s eyes darted to something just over his shoulder. He turned around to see a woman rounding the left corner of the house.

           Mai recognized her instantly as Shinji—now Wakaba—Yuna. After the death of her late husband, she had taken on her maiden name again. Despite the passage of the years, she looked much like she had in the many pictures caught by nosy press. Her hair was still just as dark as it had been; it was pulled back in the same tight, official looking bun. Her eyes were just as sad as they had been all those years ago; and she still looked just as tired. Her mouth was twisted in a half-hearted smile. 

           “Thank you for coming. If you will follow me, I will show you where you will be staying. Most of the furniture you’ll be using is original to the orphanage.” Mai’s brows furrowed in distaste; she pinched her lips together to keep her thoughts from escaping them. _‘Why does she sound proud? The furniture I saw was a complete wreck!’_ “I managed to clean most of the dust and dirt out from the rooms, so you shouldn’t have any problems. I also changed the bed linens and comforters so there shouldn’t be a musty smell lingering…”

           She didn’t give the crew a chance to introduce themselves or ask questions; Yuna simply continued toward the front door of the orphanage. _‘How rude,’_ Mai thought. Naru moved to follow her, Lin close behind. Mai pursed her lips. _‘Of course, he doesn’t mind…quicker we get inside, the better, eh, Naru?’_ Lin dipped down to avoid hitting his head on the door and then he was gone. Mai sighed.

           “Guess I’d better follow…” Mai muttered. That curl of unease returned to her gut, even as she made her way forward. She stepped inside and was hit by the smell of damp wood. She curled her nose and looked around the first floor, confident that their voices would carry. The hardwood floor was new; it bore no signs of water damage, but the walls certainly did—which confused Mai. Why lay down the floor without fixing the walls? Most of the water damage seemed to be around the windows, the ceiling, and the front door. There was an arch that seemed to lead into the living room; she could vaguely make out the sagging couch and a few armchairs that she had seen from the window, but she didn’t really bother entering. She would have to go in there later anyway whenever she took measurements. Another archway left of the stairs lead into what looked to be a decent kitchen. The original linoleum was still in place. _‘Why didn’t they replace this too?’_ She wondered as she examined the room. The floor was lifted, curling, away from the wood at the corners of the room…and she could vaguely see the rotted wood underneath. Moving on from the floor, she saw that the counters, refrigerator, and table were slightly discolored, but they looked clean—as did the sink and stove. Closer to the ceiling, the walls bore the same water damage as the rest of the floor. 

           Still, placing equipment on this floor wouldn’t be difficult; and since the floor was in decent condition, measurements would be easier too. Satisfied with her glance, Mai followed Lin and Naru up the stairs just in time to hear Naru start his interrogation. 

           “Why choose to reopen the orphanage?” Naru asked, his voice carrying to her position on the stairwell. It was clear from the first step that the construction workers had neglected to fix the stairs also; so, Mai kept an eye on the stairs and an ear out for Yuna’s answer. All in all, she found two damaged stairs she was going to have log. Stair Number One was the third coming up from the first level but the tenth step coming down. It was an easy one to miss because the issue wasn’t obvious on the step itself. The real issue was a crack in the base board that ran all the way down to the step underneath it. Stair Two was closer to the top—the second step from the second level—and it was simply rotted in one corner.

           “Shinji Orphanage originally belonged to my father.” Yuna’s voice pulled Mai from her thoughts and she almost stepped onto the rotted step she had just noticed. She recovered quickly and joined Naru and Lin on the second floor. “His will demanded that I marry before it could be passed on. Akito seemed like the perfect match. He was business savvy, good with kids, and he treated me right.” It wasn’t too hard to hear the bitterness in her tone as she recounted the reasons Akito had been chosen at her husband. It was clear that Yuna no longer felt those things for her late husband. Mai certainly did not blame her. “I went along with my father’s wishes because I wanted the orphanage. I’ve always wanted to help children.”

 _‘Too bad you married such a disgusting man…,’_ Mai couldn’t help but think.

            “What has been your experience since attempting to reopen the orphanage?” Naru asked, artfully steering the conversation away from her husband as they walked down the hall. Like the first level, the walls showed signs of water damage both around the windows and along the top, but much heavier. The third floor must be in a dismal state indeed for so much rain water to have leaked down into the rest of the house. Mai followed the soggy looking wallpaper all the way up to the ceiling and immediately paled. The ceiling itself was much worse than the first floor. Black discolorations and splotches of sagging ceiling ran all along the hallway. She returned her incredulous gaze to Mrs. Wakaba, who creepily enough was looking back at her. Her eyes were strangely glazed. Mai tilted her head and tried to offer a reassuring smile, but she was certain it came out more as a grimace.

           “At first, nothing strange happened. Then, about a week after my son and I had gotten started, the vacuum bag tore.”

           “Heisuke-kun said it exploded,” Mai interjected and almost cursed as it brought Mrs. Wakaba’s unnerving stare back to her.

           “Yes, from where he was standing it likely looked that way. A rip in the bag had appeared first.”

           “Could it have been a nail or a piece of glass?” Naru asked; Mai almost sighed in relief as she looked away to Naru. Yuna shook her head.

           “No. We made sure to pick everything up that could hurt the vacuum beforehand.” Yuna sounded as if she would rather there have been a logical explanation. Not that Mai faulted her for that, of course; it was jarring to realize there was no logic behind an event; but Yuna sounded more sour than fearful—as if this entire thing, their presence and the possible haunting, was nothing more than an irritation. “Shortly after the vacuum incident, the bathroom sink at the end of this hall would randomly cut on, run for a few seconds, and then cut off again. Always late in the evening…” Yuna trailed off as she opened the door to a room in the middle of the hall. She reached in and flicked on the light. “This used to be the playroom in the old orphanage. It should be large enough to suit your needs for a base.” 

           She wasn’t exaggerating. This would likely be their largest base to date. The room was bare of most furniture—excluding two desks in the corner of the room, two large backed rolling chairs, and a couch--and clean as it could be given the state of the house. They could likely set up mats in here if the case took a turn for the truly unsafe. Even with all of the equipment and few pieces of furniture, it looked possible for every member of SPR to fit in the space remaining. _‘Though it would likely be a very close fit.’_

           “Your son said that you were pulled into one of the bedrooms.” Naru’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. The slight friendliness of their hostess seemed to disappear with that question. Her face darkened.

           “Yes. It was on this floor. I was sweeping out the hallway whenever someone jerked me inside. Then, this voice shushed me and said that he would find us if I wasn’t quiet.” Her words were sharp. Yuna didn’t sound half as worried as her son had whenever he had retold the story to them. Mai’s thoughts from earlier were confirmed. This haunting was only an irritant to Mrs. Wakaba. She wasn’t frightened of the happenings in the slightest—which honestly worried Mai more than the state of the orphanage. Who wouldn’t be terrified of spirits manhandling them?  

           “Did you recognize the voice?” Naru asked as Mai tried to rub away the goosebumps that formed along her arms.

           “It sounded like Cecilia.” It was clear from Yuna’s tone that she didn’t exactly want to talk about it anymore; and Mai didn’t think it was for the reasons most people didn’t want to speak of the dead. There was no sorrow for what happened to the girl in her voice. She sounded almost indifferent to her death. It sent chills down Mai’s spine.  

           “Cecilia was the girl that was murdered here, correct?” Naru persisted, likely testing her reaction. So, he had noticed it too. Yuna’s mouth flattened into a thin line. She nodded, but her lips seemed sealed. “Thank you. That’s all the questions I have for now. My colleagues and I will begin setting up.” Naru dismissed her.

           “Of course.” Yuna left without so much as a second glance or a parting comment. Mai looked toward the men.

           “I understand being wary to talk about the dead, but…did that seem weird to anyone else?” Mai asked. “It was almost like she was personally offended to even speak her name.”

           “Yet, she talked about her late husband so much easier,” Naru unknowingly followed Mai’s thought pattern. Mai nodded. “It does seem rather strange, yes. Still, it is too early to draw conclusions. A more productive use of our time would be starting to gather measurements and temperatures.”

           “Yeah, yeah. I know.”  

X

            A full sweep of the orphanage’s first floor, recording measurements and temperatures, only made Mai’s confusion with construction team grow. Why lay down flooring when the rest of the house was in such a state? If they didn’t fix the walls and the leak on the third floor, then the new floor would suffer the same fate as the old. The measurements of the room were accurate, but the hairline cracks in the windows brought the temperature in some rooms down lower than others.

           Despite Mrs. Wakaba’s attempts at cleaning, it was obvious that rodents of some kind had set up in the building. This discovery had led to equipment set up being delayed until rat poison could be poured; measurements and temperature collection had to be finished before they could lay the poison. Naturally, Lin had been sent out immediately to buy the poison.  

            “Why do you think the construction team only did the floors and didn’t worry about replacing the walls?” Mai questioned Naru as she steadied the thermometer on the kitchen counter. She waited for his answer while she studied the climb of the meter.

            “It’s possible that they are waiting for her to come to her senses and call off this repair job,” Naru said. The temperature stopped moving; seven degrees higher than the living room and hallway. Mai sighed. Not that it was saying much. It was still chilly in here, just seven degrees warmer than the rest. Mai wrote it down with some trepidation. “This was the last room on this level. Let’s move onto the second floor.”

            “Hey, you two!” Monk’s voice suddenly boomed throughout the first floor. Mai spun around, careful not to knock over yet another expensive camera; she turned just in time to see Monk walking through the archway of the kitchen. A smile spread across her face as Monk threw an arm around her shoulders in greeting. He tucked her into his side as he looked toward Naru. “We the first ones to arrive?”

            “Miss. Hara and John should arrive sometime tomorrow,” Naru said in answer, but offered up no more in the way of explanation.

            “Geez, what’s got you in such a mood?” Ayako asked as she stepped in behind Monk. She lacked her usual finery; instead, she chose to dress in a sweater and a pair of jeans—much like Mai. Ayako looked toward Mai and smiled; but before either woman could greet one another, Naru answered the priestess’ earlier question.  

            “Rats.”

            “Rats?!” A look of pure panic filled Ayako’s face. Monk covered his mouth to keep from laughing at her obvious distress. His amusement jarred Mai slightly, so she slipped out from underneath his arm and leveled Naru a glare—that had no effect. He simply stared back at her and raised a brow. She huffed and turned her attention back to the redhead that was looking increasingly agitated.

            “He’s not being serious,” Mai hastened to reassure Ayako before she stormed out. “It’s mice, not rats.”

            “AS IF THERE’S A DIFFERENCE!” Ayako exploded. Mai suppressed the urge to cover her ears.

           “There is. Rats are bigger and meaner than mice,” Mai explained, unconsciously answering her in the same exasperated tone Naru used whenever dealing with someone he thought incredibly daft. Monk started to turn a little red from suppressed laughter, but none of the occupants in the room really paid him any mind. If Mai had looked over her shoulder, she would have seen Naru’s slightly amused, barely there, grin at her tone. “But that’s not what has got him in such a bad mood. The construction workers neglected the living room and this room in their replacement of the floors…So, there’s a possibility that we won’t be able to place cameras in some of the rooms upstairs as well. You know how he is about data…”

            “ _He_ is still here.” Naru pointed out as if that had ever stopped Mai before. The girl in question turned her attention to him.

            “Oh, I know. But it’s not like you to offer up information on your own,” Mai smiled cheekily. Monk snorted a painful kind of laugh; Ayako didn’t bother hiding her grin.  

            “Since the two of you have time to converse, Takigawa, help Mai in collecting measurements and temperatures. Matsuzaki, I need you to start crafting protection charms for the bedrooms and base.”

            “Right, right,” Ayako agreed, and then quieter, “I just got in, he could have at least let me put my bag up first.”

            “Don’t blame me for your lack of forethought,” Naru responded. Mai and Monk snorted. Clearly, Ayako wasn’t as quiet as she thought. For a moment, the redhead froze; but the moment of silence was short.  

            “Why, you little brat!” Ayako exploded. 

X

            Mai had ended up being right about the upper floors. The bedrooms of the second floor had been completely neglected by the construction workers. There were five rooms in all up here. Four of those rooms were bedrooms; one was another bathroom and at the very end of the hall. Two cameras would be set up here. One in the bathroom and one where Cecilia died and appeared before people. Naru didn’t usually set up cameras in the bathroom, but he had declared it off limits since there was some activity that went on. Any needs were to be taken care of downstairs. _‘One bathroom in the entire house to be used by seven people….it’s gonna be a long case…’_

           Mai sighed as she picked her way across the room where Cecilia had been found and began to take down the measurements to the best of her ability. Even as she worked, she could hear Ayako complaining—loudly—about the state of the rooms they would be staying in. “OH! THIS IS DISGUSTING! THAT WOMAN HAS ANOTHER THING COMING IF SHE THINKS I’M SLEEPING IN HERE!”  

            “It’s either there or in the base,” Mai called down the hallway, not quite on the same level of loud as her co-worker. Still, it wasn’t like she was thrilled with it either. She was momentarily distracted from Ayako’s response by the extending the measuring tape as far as she could across the room and backing out into the hallway. Once, she got the number figured she wrote that down and tiptoed back into the room to try and measure the distance horizontally.   

            “I WOULD RATHER BE IN THERE!” Ayako yelled as Mai extended the tape again. She fed it underneath the beds carefully and stopped whenever she felt it hit the wall. Then, pinning the tape measure in place with her clipboard, she guided the plastic bit all the way to the opposite wall and ran it just a little ways up the wall. Where the floor and wall met was her measurement. She kept the number in mind, she fed the tape back into its container as she approached her clipboard. She kept her finger and thumb in place as she let the tape roll back into the clip. She lifted her clip board and wrote down the measurement.

            Once that was finished, she moved over to the dresser and set the thermometer down onto the flat surface. As she waited, she looked around the bedroom. Something about the room was weird. There was so much more space in it than in the rooms she had measured before, despite being smaller than both the living room and kitchen. _‘The beds,’_ Mai suddenly noticed, _‘that’s what strange about the room.’_ The twin beds—four in total, much like the rest of the bedrooms—were pushed against the wall and were so close together that room seemed larger than it really was. The girls had likely huddled together in the hopes that he would see them curled so close to one another and be discouraged. It was possible that it worked for a little while, but it was clear from the new story that it had stopped working at some point. Mai’s heart sank as she thought of the girls’ fear whenever they realized their idea hadn’t kept them safe.

            _‘Orphanages are boasted as a safe place,’_ she thought. _‘The girls here put their trust in the managers—in Shinji and Mrs. Wakaba—to keep them safe until it came time for them to leave…and they betrayed that…’_ Mai stepped forward and gently touched the dusty, faded bedsheet with her fingertips. _‘I’m so sorry,’_ she thought to all of the girls that moved through this room in the years it had been open. Her heart ached as she gently dusted off one of the small, faded flowers. They had been daisies five years ago, but now they were simple splotches of off-white. The only indication of what it was meant to be was the shape; the lines indicating petals had faded years ago; but somehow, Mai could still see them. She traced the imaginary line, connecting each petal to the cream colored center.

            She imagined dark lines following her fingertip until the flower was complete. The faded lilac bedspread turned a deeper purple underneath her finger. The daises white petals were suddenly vibrant; the cream turned a full, bright yellow. She could see their small bodies huddled together—as close as their different sizes and shapes would allow, sharing one another’s covers. The smallest girl was always sandwiched closer to the wall; the largest at the edge to keep any of the girls from rolling off during the night. It was kind of inconvenient especially when one of them needed to go to the bathroom, but they would rather deal with the inconvenience than Shinji. Anything was better than Shinji. Her heart sank as she heard the floor boards outside creak. She swallowed and lifted her head. The faint light underneath the door was now blocked by feet. Her heart was pounding as the door knob started to turn. _‘Oh, God, don’t let it be him.’_

            “Cecilia?” Mai called quietly, hoping. She felt the girl closest to her tense. She swallowed. _‘If it is him…what will I do?’_ She wondered. The youngest ones were closest to the wall. She was the second oldest after Cecilia and the tallest girl, so she had been the obvious choice to shield the other girls. _‘But I’m only twelve…and I’m not as brave as Cecilia…What can I do?’_ A whimper of fear drew her attention from the door and her own thoughts. She propped on her elbow and looked toward the source. Her eyes connected for a moment with the girl at the end of their chain of beds. Her green eyes gleamed with her fear; tears had already started to bead from the eight year old’s eyes. ‘ _Okay,_ ’ she thought. ‘ _I’ll protect them. If it’s him…I’ll…I’ll be Cecilia…_ ’ The door opened. Mai swallowed and rolled over, nervous and scared but resolved. Through the light behind the door, she could see a feminine shape.

            “Hey.” All of the fear drained out of her as Cecilia closed the door behind her with a soft click. _‘Oh, thank God!’_ Relief made her weak. She dropped back down onto her back.  She heard the other girls relax as well; the one sandwiched closest to her even sighed. She shared in their relief. Her fear had been so intense that it left her body shaking. The older girl came over to the bed on quiet feet. The bed dipped at her waist as Cecilia sat down. “Don’t worry,” Cecilia reassured, reaching for her head. She let her eyes drift closed as she felt the steady comfort of the older girl’s fingers in her hair.  

            “Won’t you get in trouble again?” She asked, her voice small, as she reopened her eyes.  

            “Only if he finds out I wasn’t in my room.” Cecilia smiled in a reassuring manner, but Mai was far from reassured. After what happened last time…

            “Yuna won’t vouch for you anymore…” She voiced her worry. Yuna used to, she knew. Whenever Shinji would start berating Cecilia, accusing her of sneaking out of the orphanage at night, Yuna would defend her, say she was in her room the whole night—even if she hadn’t been. Cecilia had messed up last time. Yuna had caught her in the hallway, coming back from their floor. After that, she stopped defending Cecilia. She hated hearing Cecilia being punished; she always heard, so did the other girls.

            “That’s fine,” Cecilia reassured her. The older girl’s fingers still combed through her longer hair, catching tangles and sorting them out in that way she imagined her mother would had she still been around. A quiet hum rose from her throat, building slowly into a song.

            “You are my sunshine,” Cecilia began to sing quiet enough that the sound wouldn’t carry but loud enough that each girl could hear her. “My only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey….You’ll never know, dears, how much I love you….”

            _“Please don’t take my sunshine away….”_

            The quiet beep of the meter startled her. She pulled her hand away from the bed and looked over her shoulder. The meter was blinking the numbers she needed, but she was too confused right now to move back toward the dresser. _‘Did…did I fall asleep standing up?!’_ She wondered incredulously.

            “Oh,” she breathed as she became aware of a pain in her eyes. She raised the hand that didn’t come in contact with the cover and rubbed her eyes. Dryness? So, she didn’t fall asleep? Had she really just been staring at the bed the whole time? “Don’t tell me I’ve having these dreams while awake…” She muttered as she dropped her hand back to her hip.

            She could stand here all day pondering, but be no closer to an answer. She would just have to ask Gene later. She went back to the dresser and recorded the number on the meter. Only slightly colder than the rest of the house, but not quite as chilly as the kitchen had been.

            Finished with this room, Mai pocketed her devices and walked out into the hallway. She could the click of Ayako’s heels and voices. Monk and Ayako were speaking in low tones just inside the third and last bedroom. So, both of them had finished their measurements and assigned tasks.

            “Ready to head up to the third floor?” Mai asked. Ayako shook her head and dismissed Monk with hardly a glance. Monk gave her an incredulous yet thunderous look as she flipped her hair over her shoulder.

            “I’m done. Lin wants me back down in the base.”

            “What for?” Mai asked.

            “Dunno.” Ayako said breezily. Monk’s eyes narrowed along with Mai’s, but neither tried to stop her as she walked down the hall and toward the stairs. Mai turned to her older brother figure, who still looked like he wanted more than anything to charge after her.

            “I bet you my paycheck she’s lying.”

            “That’s a bet I don’t have to take,” Monk grumbled in response. “I know she’s lying.”

            “What were the two of you talking about?” Mai asked as they moved toward the staircase that lead up into the third floor. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Monk’s shoulders slumped.

            “Nothing you need to worry about, Jou-chan.” Oh, his reaction guaranteed she was going to worry about it. “Let’s just get these numbers and see if you win that bet.”

            “I thought you said you weren’t going to take it?”

            “I won’t take your check. But you’ll spend Saturday with me, if we’re free of this case by then, if you’re wrong.” Mai had no argument. Spending Saturday with Monk was never boring. 

            “Okay. Deal.”

            “Be careful on the stairs,” Monk said, “these are in even worse shape.” He warned. Mai quickly was able to see what he could. The stairs closer to the top of the floor bore more than just their share of water damage, but somehow they were sturdy enough to hold their weight. Still, Mai didn’t want to test it by making too many trips up here.  

            “This…is a mess.” Monk announced from the top of the stairs on the third floor. Mai peeked underneath his arm.

            “Geez…you aren’t kidding.” The first floor had the occasional cups (as Monk had called them) and slight water damage in the living room and so had the second floor in the bedrooms, but the third floor was a complete disaster. The floor was almost completely rotten. There was little left of the actual flooring. The only pieces of floor that looked sturdy were somehow the piece in front of the stairs.  

           The ceiling was covered with white squares of plastic, taped in place with industrial tape. Mai highly doubted it would hold. The ceiling itself was just as bad as the floor. It was a wonder that Wakaba had even gotten the tape to stick the ceiling was in such a sorry state. 

_“…I wanted the orphanage. I’ve always wanted to help children.”_

_‘I hate to say it, but I think Wakaba-san just needs to cut her losses…’_ Mai thought. _‘Trying to save this place would only put her in a lifetime of debt…and for despite her good intentions, I don’t imagine many people are going to feel charitable toward this place once it opens.’_

            “What is that woman thinking?” Monk asked as Mai wedged herself out from underneath his arm. “She would be better off demolishing this place and rebuilding.”

            “She said the orphanage had belonged to her father...” Mai murmured as she stepped out onto the hardwood, testing it. She had been right; the place in front of the stairs was steady. She moved closer to the wall on the opposite side of the stairs, toward the bedroom door. So far, it held steady.

            “Sentiment won’t bring in the amount of money she is going to need to repair this dump…” Bou-san pointed out. “Be careful,” he warned. “This floor is more rot than it is anything else. I’m sure Naru would forgive us for not getting a complete floorplan if he saw all this.”  

            “I know, I know—AH!” She grabbed for the wall to steady herself. “Ew…” She groaned at the slimy feel of the wall. She was hardly three feet from Monk and only one foot away from the bedroom door. _‘So, the sturdiness stops here?’_ She thought as she looked down. The floor had sank around her foot, but somehow hadn’t broken. Still, she didn’t wish to test it. Mai took her weight off of that foot and shifted backwards. The floor gave a quiet squish as Mai pulled her foot free _. ‘Ew…_ ’ Mai shuddered. 

            “How about we get out of here before you fall through the floor?” Monk groaned. Mai nodded and slowly tracked back the way she came.  “Naru can deal with lacking the third floor on the plan.” She joined Monk in front of the stairs. “Not like equipment could be placed up here anyway with the ceiling so fragile.”

            “Right.” Mai agreed readily as they walked back down the stairs. Her mind wandered back to the girls’ bedroom. The huddled beds and the vision still caused an ache in her heart. Cecilia had been a mother figure to the girls that lived here; Mai couldn’t imagine the pain it must have caused them to hear Shinji harm her. Mai dropped her eyes to the wood as she followed the steady sound of Monk’s shoes against the hard wood.

            None of the girls’ faces had been recognizable to her except Cecilia’s, but that wasn’t all that strange. The little girl that escaped that night had stayed firmly in anonymity despite her story. Any appearance she made on television for interviews was altered. Even if Naru and the others wanted to find her, Mai knew they wouldn’t be able to. Still, Mai couldn’t shake the feeling that the girl had been in that room.  

            “The third floor is completely unsalvageable,” Monk announced as he entered base. His voice pulled Mai from her thoughts. She looked up from the floor and stepped around Monk, who was addressing Naru and Lin, so that she could stand beside him. “It is more rot than hardwood. Even Mai over here,” he pointed his thumb toward her, “couldn’t step onto it without it caving underneath her.”

            “I don’t know how Mrs. Wakaba got up there to patch the ceiling…” Mai murmured.  

            “She likely knows the spots to step, Jou-chan,” Monk said, patting her on the shoulder. His hand only lingered a second before Monk lifted it to scratch his head. “I don’t understand why she’s trying so hard to save this place. It’s going to cost more than she likely has to repair all of the damage. Even if she succeeded, that top floor is going to have to be rebuilt.”

            “It is a good thing we aren’t here to give her construction advice then, isn’t it?” Naru was in a snarky mood then. Mai raised her brows. Just what had him so irritated? Monk glared at him for the unnecessarily sarcastic comment. Naru continued as if he didn’t even see it, “What Mrs. Wakaba choses to do with the property is not our business. We are here to cleanse the spirit-”

            “Spirits,” came Masako’s gentle voice from the base door. Mai saw Naru’s jaw tick slightly at the interruption and suppressed a small smile. She looked toward the door to see Masako and John. Mai lifted a hand and waved to them in greeting since she knew better than to interrupt the flow of conversation. “There are two here. One much more overpowering than the other.” 

            “Akito Shinji and Cecilia Evans,” Naru informed them. “We know.”

            “Cecilia?” Monk asked. He knew who the first was; he didn’t think he would ever forget that chilling story that had been on every single channel. He had wondered how on earth such a twisted guy had come to run an orphanage; now that he knew, he felt even worse for Wakaba Yuna. She had been used, nothing more than a stepping stone to get what he wanted.

            “Cecilia was the fifteen year old girl that was murdered here by Shinji Akito,” Mai informed Monk and Masako. “Wakaba-san said that she thought she heard Cecilia’s voice in the one of the girls’ bedrooms on this floor.”

            “Yes,” Masako agreed, “Cecilia seems to be lingering on this floor, but I can’t really get a feel for where Shinji Akito is…He feels too much hatred and rage…it’s extending out everywhere he’s touched…”

            “Great…” Ayako muttered. “So what do we do now?” She asked.

            “Start bringing in equipment,” Naru ordered as if it were obvious. After so long of working alongside him, Mai figured it was.

            “What about the rats?!” Ayako demanded shrilly.

            “Lin poisoned.” Naru answered her simply as he turned his back to her.

X

            Mai was appointed to shelf duty in the base. She waited for the men to bring in the equipment and then helped Lin set it up; however, she was guilty of letting her mind wander back to that room at the end of the hall. She still worked efficiently, so neither Naru nor Lin commented on her distraction. Putting the shelves together and placing the monitors was practically muscle memory for her now.

            “Mai,” Naru called suddenly as she was adjusted a monitor onto one of the shelves.

            “Yes, Naru?” She asked as she turned around. She fully expected him to order her to make him some tea, but he just looked at her and raised a brow. Mai raised her own in response. “What?” She asked. Naru sighed.

            “What’s wrong?” He asked.

            Mai had wanted to wait for Gene, but the words came pouring out anyway. In one quick breathe, she told Naru, “I had a vision. Upstairs…whenever I was getting the temperature of the far bedroom where Cecilia was found…or at least, I think it was a vision. I swear I didn’t fall asleep!” She tacked on. Naru helped up a hand.

            “Relax,” he said. “Just tell me what you saw.” Mai sank down on the couch.

            “I noticed something off about the room the moment I stepped in. It seemed much larger than the other bedrooms, but…that was only because the girls had pushed all of the beds together. Since Mrs. Wakaba never really touched anything until now, the beds stayed as the girls had left them. The last thing I remember before the vision was that I had touched one of the beds…” Mai said quietly. Naru’s eyes widened marginally, just enough for Mai to miss it. “Then, I was in the bed. Only, it was as it had been five years ago—pristine. There were three other girls with me and we were all curled up together. I was at the end, acting as a brace to keep the others from rolling off. The door opened and I…or the girl I was inhabiting for the memory…raised up to see who it was. She had already decided that if it were Shinji, she would…” Mai swallowed. “Be Cecilia for the night.” A shudder rippled down her spine at the memory, at the feeling of the girl’s resolve. “But, thankfully, it was Cecilia. So, I laid back down. Cecilia ran her fingers through my—the girl’s—hair to comfort her. We talked a little while and…Naru, I think Mrs. Wakaba knows more than she says about the molestations—or at the very least about what Shinji was doing to Cecilia…because the girl I was inhabiting said…that Yuna wouldn’t vouch for her anymore like she had in the past. Cecilia had been caught coming downstairs by Yuna, but that’s all I know. Cecilia didn’t seem bothered, but I was. The girl was afraid for her….” Mai felt her throat seize for a moment as she fought against the wave of tears that threatened to come. “Naru, the younger girls could hear. They could hear whenever Cecilia was hurt. I think…” Tears slipped from her eyes. “I think they heard whenever she was killed…” She covered her face, unable to keep the tears at bay anymore.

            “How awful,” John whispered. She felt a hand touch her back and knew that it was Monk. He had slid into the seat beside her. Her instinct was further confirmed whenever he pulled her against his chest and the scent of Monk’s cologne filled her nose. She burrowed her head into his shoulder and let the sadness she had buried for those children out.

            “Could it have been a partial possession?” Ayako asked.

            “Possible,” Naru answered. “We didn’t have any equipment set up in that room.” She heard Naru shift through the papers and found where she had recorded the temp for that room. “And the temperature is three degrees cooler than the other rooms.”

            “But if it was a possession…shouldn’t she have seen it from Cecilia’s point of view?” Monk’s chest vibrated with his words. “Instead of from some girl?”

            “You have a point,” Naru sighed.

            “Memories can be strong,” Masako said softly. “It’s possible that the girl who slept in the bed Mai touched passed on.”

            “Can you feel any one else besides Shinji and Cecilia?” He questioned. Mai kept her head on Monk’s shoulder and watched as Masako tried to feel. After a few minutes, she shook her head.

            “If there are any other spirits here, Shinji and Cecilia are overpowering them.” Masako said. “But it wouldn’t surprise me if there were other souls in this orphanage. Places like this—no matter the history—will attract lost souls. Like churches, an orphanage is known to be open to those that are in need. Most of the time…” Masako added bitterly. Mai sniffled.

            Monk looked down at her now. His light brown eyes softened at her misery. “Feeling better now?” He asked gently. Mai nodded, but made no move to remove her head from his shoulder. Monk smiled and wrapped an arm tighter around her.

            “Regardless of why Mai saw it, it does tell us one thing…” Naru sighed. All of them turned their attention toward their boss. “The Wakabas are not being a hundred percent forthcoming with us.”

            Mai tried not to feel too badly for the Wakabas tomorrow as she took in the rage in Naru’s eyes. She felt like Yuna and Heisuke were going to be in for a surprise tomorrow evening whenever they stopped by to check on their progress.

            Naru did not like being lied to, by omission or out-right.     

X

            “How was your trip to America, Masako?” Ayako made small talk as the girls traveled away from base at the end of the day. As it turned out, Lin had needed Ayako back at base—only to set up more charms around the building. Three were in front of the room where they would be staying and three were in front of the boy’s rooms. At least six were scattered about the base. Still, from the way Ayako had behaved, one would think it drained all of her energy to place even those. She certainly didn’t help bring any of the equipment in. Mai could admit to being a little bitter over it.

            “It was uneventful,” Masako said. Her tone implied that she had neither hated the visit nor enjoyed it. “Why my agent thought it was a good idea to send me on an American talk show, I have no idea…” She sighed.

            “Where did you go?” Mai asked.

            “Los Angeles, California,” Masako groaned. “Traffic was horrible and the taxis were even worse. We got passed up five times just because the driver didn’t want to deal with a foreigner.”

            “They said that?!” Ayako gasped, appalled and angry. Masako shook her head.

            “Well, no. But the looks they gave us as they passed were clear. We were out of place.” Masako lifted her sleeve to her mouth as she said, “I wasn’t even wearing my kimono…”

            “Oh, that must have been a strange sight indeed,” Mai teased her friend. Masako dropped her hand in favor of popping Mai on the arm. The brunette laughed as she entered the bedroom.

            “Who wants first dibs on the bathroom?” Mai asked, turning to the girls. They didn’t have to worry about the guys taking the bathroom before them. After one too many arguments over the bathroom privileges, Naru had decided that the men would wait an hour after the girls left base for the night; if they weren’t finished after that hour was up, too bad.  

            “I do!” Ayako and Masako said at the same time. Mai raised her eyebrows and held out a fist. The other girls rolled their eyes. “Why do we end up doing this each time?” Ayako asked as she too stuck her fist out. Masako sighed and extended her fist as well.

            “Because both of you want the bathroom, and both of you take at least thirty minutes in there,” Mai said. “Honestly, I don’t know why you don’t just let me go first and get it out of the way.”

            “Because if you go first, you’re liable to get kidnapped,” Masako teased. Mai stuck out her tongue while Ayako laughed. 

            “Alright, alright. The longer we stand here, goofing around, the sooner the guys get the bathroom. So, we ready?” Ayako stopped any response Mai could have. Masako and she nodded. Three fists beat against open palms three times. Mai chose paper; Masako chose paper; and Ayako chose rock. Mai grinned. “Damn,” Ayako cursed as she dropped her hand, acknowledging defeat. Mai and Masako faced one another again, shook their fists three times, and placed their bet. Masako chose rock; Mai chose paper again.

            “What!” Masako blurted. “You always choose differently than the first round!” She complained. Mai grinned and walked over to her bag which sat at the bed farthest from the door.

            “What can I say? I’m learning,” she taunted as she opened her bag. She pulled her suitcase up onto the end of the bed and withdrew her sleep clothes—a baggy, long-sleeved T-shirt, pair of faded, checkered sleep pants, and a pair of woolen socks. She grabbed her toiletry bag from the corner of her suitcase. Ayako’s laughter followed her even after she stepped outside into the hall.

            It hadn’t taken long for Mai to finish her nightly routine; and even less time for her to fall asleep. Masako, the rightful second person to the bathroom, had hardly walked out the door before Mai was drifting off to sleep.

_“Hm?” That half consciousness that came with coming to on the spiritual plane filled her mind. Her eyelashes fluttered as she opened her eyes. “Gene?” She called softly as she spotted him sitting on the floor with her. Unlike usual, he didn’t smile at her. His blue eyes spoke of sadness and worry. “What’s wrong?” He shook his head and extended a hand down to her. She took it and allowed him to pull her to her feet._

_“I’m sorry that I can’t go with you on this vision,” he said._

_“What? Why can’t you?” She asked, clenching her hand around his. He smiled sadly._

_“She is blocking me.”_

_“She?”  Before Gene could answer, her hand was pulled from his. Mai watched his fingers slip out from hers. The last thing she was conscious of as herself was of Gene’s sad blue eyes as she was pulled into the room._

_A crash downstairs broke the silence that had permeated the house since Yuna had left with her son. Cecilia had been expecting it, counting down the seconds it would take. The children huddled closer to her. No one said a word; no whispers or whimpers escaped their mouths. They had all been through this enough to know speech would only help him find them easier. Of course, she knew he would find them eventually. If they tried to stay here, he would find them and would punish them all._

_She lifted the youngest, Yumiko, out of her lap and handed her to Kimi. “I need you all to be quiet. No matter what you hear, stay here.” Any protest the children could have made was silenced by the call of Shinji downstairs._

_“Girls, where are you?” The girls huddled closer together and watched as she walked toward the door. She leaned against the dresser, sliding it out of the way just enough that she could slip outside._

_“Barricade the door again after I’m gone,” she warned them. Kimi nodded; her big brown eyes were filled with fear and worry. She tried to smile reassuringly, but knew it fell flat. It always did. Each girl in this room knew what was about to happen, what they were about to have to listen too. She just hoped that the violence would end with her this time._

_She closed the door behind her and faced the hallway. She could hear him coming up the stairs now. Unlike them, he didn’t bother to be silent when coming up the stairs. He had no reason to sneak around, no reason to hide. Who would yell at him? Who would come punish him?_

_She could see him now. God, he disgusted her. His hairline had receded years ago, but still tried to comb what was left over to hide it. His shirtless belly hung over his unbuttoned jeans. He was dragging his belt across the wall as he staggered along. Her upper lip curled. How she hated him._

_“Drunk again, Akito-san?” She asked rhetorically as she walked down the hall. She didn’t need to give him any indication about which room the girls were hiding in. Hopefully, he would be too tired after her to go looking for them. His eyes cut to her._

_“What did you say, you little slut?” He growled. She lifted her chin._

_“I can tell you are.” She ignored the insult. Really, after all these years, she thought he would come up with something new. “Good to know this all you’re good for. Drinking and stumbling around like an old loon. No wonder your wife won’t sleep with you anymore. She knows what a pathetic little man you are. Have to get your kicks touching on little girls,” she spat. She stopped in front of the old girls’ bedroom. He was almost to her; and he was practically vibrating with rage. She smirked. “What’s the matter, Akito? Your tongue gone numb? That’s okay. I’m sure your hands still work.” She seethed, throwing his own words back to him. It caused bile to rise up in her throat, but she knew it would only entice his rage further. “Or are you choking on it?”_

_That was the only push he needed. She felt the first lash of the belt buckle across her face before she even registered his movement. “You’ve still got quite the mouth on you, Cecilia,” he growled as he tangled a hand in her hair and forced her onto her knees. “Maybe I haven’t been making you use it enough.”_

_She spit her blood onto his feet. “Please, with that little di-” A quiet shout escaped her as he slammed her head into the side of the wall. The more she relied him up, the less **favors** he would make her do.  Through the ringing in her ears, she finished, “It would be like sucking on a tic-tac. There one minute, gone the next.” He kicked her in the stomach hard enough that she felt something crack. She gagged at the searing pain that rippled up from her ribs. “Oh look,” she panted, “that’s a sound you’ve never heard.” _

_He screamed in rage. The belt buckle caught her across the mouth as he forgone hitting her with his fists and just started using the belt. She brought her arms up to protect her face. He lashed out at her with the belt until he was panting._

_“Oh…tired so soon?” She ribbed, needing to know that he was completely finished. He grunted and half-heartedly swung the belt buckle at her again. Instead of hitting her, it hit the wall by her head. Yeah. He was done. Not with her maybe, but he wouldn’t go looking for the other girls._

_The last thing she saw for the night was his boot coming toward her face._

            Mai didn’t have to really force herself to stay still this time. Shock had made her body immobile. Her eyes filled with tears again as she thought of the children hiding in the room behind Cecilia, knowing without a doubt that they could hear every sound, and of Cecilia—who was so brave in the face of her impending pain…who only thought of protecting the children just beyond that door. She sat up slowly. _‘This…was the room where the children were in my dream, but then…why did I have that vision of the children in the other room? Those were the same girls.’_ She realized. Sickness swept through her as she realized Shinji must have caught on…and instead of having the beds moved back, he had them move in here. Her instincts prickled that she was right. Then…the news report said that Cecilia’s body had been found in the room down the hall, but the girls were in _here_. Not there. This was the room without a doubt. The placement of the beds and dresser gave it away; the only thing different was the rug. 

 _‘The children barricaded the door with the dresser to keep Shinji out, but none of them would have been strong enough to push it by themselves. It would have made too much noise.’_ Her eyes focused on the rug. _‘If that was underneath the dresser, all they would have to do is grab the edges of the rug and pull. It would soften the noise and make it easier to slide the dresser across the floor. So, why did Wakaba-san move it from underneath the dresser?_ ’ Mai threw the cover off and slipped from bed. Avoiding the raised surface of the floor, she knelt down in front of the rug and used the light from her phone to see underneath.

            Blood. Her eyes widened; her breathe hitched. Long dried blood had filled the cracks of the hardwood and left to sit. She flipped the rug off completely and tracked the red all the way to the dresser. She could vaguely make out blood in the crack that joined the side pieces with the front. Her brows furrowed. She braced herself against the rim of the dresser and tracked it up further to a chip in the corner of the dresser. It was stained a little darker than the floor; she and the others had readily dismissed it as water damage. She paled as she realized how wrong they had been. Spots danced in front of her eyes. _‘Don’t pass out…don’t pass out,_ ’ she repeated fervently. Once the spots had stopped; she felt confident enough to straighten up. What she saw almost upset her restored equilibrium: a man was leaning over the bed Masako was in. She opened her mouth to scream at him, to scream for Masako to wake up, but suddenly the image shifted. Instead of Masako lying unaware in the bed, it was a little girl and she was thrashing out trying to get the man off of her.

_“GET OFF OF ME!”_

_“Now, now. Stop fighting me, dear.” His voice was sickening in its false sweetness. The endearment dripped with disgusting intention. Thinking of the girls that he had subjected to this torment caused a veil of red to fall over Mai’s vision. No! Mai rushed forward and seized the back of his shirt. Using the edge of the bed and the power in her legs for leverage, she jerked the man from the bed and threw him into the floor. His head cracked against it, stunning him. Mai spun around to face the child._

_“RUN!” The girl sat immobile on her bed, frozen in fear as Shinji rose from the floor. Mai recognized her as the one that was always sandwiched closest to the wall but not quite against it. She hadn’t had as much exposure to her as she had with the other girls. Kimi was the unfortunate recent addition to the orphanage. “RUN, Kimi!” Mai snapped. Shinji was rising from the floor. The girl didn’t have much time. “Don’t just sit there! Run!” Mai moved her body in front of her, blocking the man’s path to her just in case he tried._

_“You interfering, little bitch!” Shinji roared as he slammed his fist into her face, sending her to the ground. Blood flooded her taste buds, but it was a taste she was used to so she easily ignored it. It seemed to violence against her was all Kimi needed to move; she jumped from the bed and sprinted like a little gazelle toward the door. Mai watched from the ground as Shinji’s vile hands reached out for the smaller girl. No! He couldn’t touch her! She had promised Kimi and all of the other girls that he wouldn’t touch them, not while she was around. She did the only thing she could. She reached out and grabbed him around the balls. Before he could step back, she squeezed as hard as her hand was able. Her nails easily found purchase through the thin sleep pants he wore. Shinji roared in pain and slammed his elbow into her head. As Mai met the floor again, she saw Kimi’s feet disappearing from the threshold and heard the sounds of her hitting the stairs._

_Good. She was gone._

_Mai didn’t have long to feel relief however. Shinji had realized this too. With a growl of frustration mixed with pain, he grabbed a fistful of her hair and hauled her up to her knees. She grunted as she felt strands of hair and scalp come free in his hand. Blood began to trickle down her hairline and forehead. “You like butting in so much, you get to finish me off.” He shifted his hips, freeing himself; and pushed her face toward his hips. The blood in her eyes made it difficult for her to see, but she didn’t have to. She felt it at her mouth, pushing at her lips. “Come on, darling, open up. Usually, you’re oh so mouthy.” Mai’s eyes narrowed._

_‘Okay, motherfucker, you want mouthy…’ She opened her mouth and bit down hard. He howled as his blood rushed into her mouth. She didn’t have time to spit it out; he used his grip on her hair to slam her into the nearest object. The dresser. She felt the corner break off against her temple, but he didn’t stop hammering her head into it. She lost count of the times her head met the corner, but she felt when it did. He let her slump down in the doorway. The cold of the hardwood felt nice against her back, but she knew it was a false comfort. “Since I can’t trust that pretty mouth of yours…” His voice sounded like it was underwater. The ringing of her ears muffled all sound. She could hardly see him anymore. The red had overtaken her vision and one eye was completely black. Did that mean she was blind in it now? Or was it simply not there? She didn’t know. If it wasn’t there, shouldn’t it hurt? She was distracted from her musings by the discomfort of her clothes being pulled roughly._

_‘Oh…’ She breathed. ‘What was it he said?’ Awareness bled back to her in pieces. She could feel his hands on her and felt sick. She couldn’t fight him off, but…but…there was a reason she was in here. What was it?_

_Oh. Kimi. She had heard Kimi screaming. Kimi had gotten away…that was why he was targeting her. He always did whenever none of the other girls were around…and she hadn’t had the time to aggravate him…sometimes he did it anyway. His punishment for her._

_He wouldn’t be chasing after Kimi._

_He would finish with her. Thankfully, she knew she wouldn’t be conscious much longer to feel it._

            Mai gagged as she came to on the bedroom floor. She rolled over onto her side as her stomach still lurched and rolled. She could still feel….oh, God. Mai gagged again; this time bile rose to her mouth. She scrambled to her feet, jerking away from the hands that reached for her, and ran for the door.

            “Mai!” Bou-san cried as she shoved him aside in her desperate attempt to reach the bathroom before she was sick. She hardly made it past the door before she felt another wave coming. Her shoulder bumped into the camera on the mount, but no sound indicated its toppling; and she felt too nauseated right now to care. She hit her knees in front of the toilet just as sick exploded from her mouth. She could still…she shuddered and gripped the toilet harder. The rounds were coming so quickly that she couldn’t catch her breath. Darkness swam around her vision even as her stomach seized again. Her fingers convulsed against the bowl and she felt a shred of consciousness leave her.

            A cold rag pressing against her forehead brought her back with sharp jolt and, unfortunately, more vomit. She felt tender hands pulling back her hair. “You’re okay,” Ayako said soothingly, “just breathe through your mouth.” Instead, Mai dry-heaved into the toilet. Her stomach still clenched and rolled, but the panic that had encompassed her from the moment she woke up on the floor had started to die down; but god, she could still feel...She gagged, but like before nothing came up with it. “Breathe, honey,” Ayako cooed. “You’re going to keep heaving like that until you breathe. That’s it. Focus on my voice, okay?” Mai nodded miserably as she took the rag Ayako held to her head and used it to wipe her mouth and blow her nose. The action caused shudders to ripple down her spine as it burned and threatened to flush more bile down into her throat. “Masako nearly gave me a heart attack shouting your name like that.” She complained as softly as she was able. Mai forced herself to focus on what she was saying and not on the memory of the dream or the disgusting taste of her mouth. She leaned forward and spit into the toilet.  

            “Ma…Masako?” She coughed.

            “Yeah. She woke up right before you fainted. Said she felt something in the room with us. She woke me a little too late. By the time I was awake you were already out. Not long after that, you started screaming and thrashing against something we couldn’t see. I was going to restrain you…but…Naru yelled at me.”

            “Naru?”

            “Yeah, you didn’t see him in the room?” Mai shook her head. She was a little too concerned with the aftermath and the knowledge that she was about to throw up to pay attention to anyone that wasn’t immediately in her way. “He told us not to crowd you or touch you. We had to let you wake up on your own or we could make it worse. Whatever that meant…It looked pretty bad already from where we were standing…” Mai shivered as Ayako’s description brought the memories from her dream back. Though she tried to fight it, she gagged and another round started. Her stomach was empty, so all she could manage were dry heaves. Ayako frowned and scooped her hair back again. “Was it one of your dreams again? Like you had on the Urado case?” Mai nodded yes as she tried to expel the burning in her throat, nose, and eyes. It was the only answer she could give. The only difference had been this time there hadn’t been sleep involved. She had been awake—like before in the old room—when the vision hit.

            She knew Ayako’s next question would be what happened, but how was she going to tell them when she couldn’t think about it without vomiting? Thankfully, Ayako didn’t ask what had happened or even mention the dream again. She just filled the room with chatter until Mai felt comfortable enough to move away from the toilet; and waited patiently as Mai rinsed out her mouth and washed her face. Through it all, she avoided looking at the camera Ayako had likely turned away whenever she followed her into the room; it was pointed at the shower instead of in the position it had been in.  

            “Do you feel collected enough to go back into the room?” Ayako asked. “I’m sure the others want to hear the story.” Mai was certain they did, she just didn’t know if she was ready enough to tell it. Still, she knew it needed to be done.

            “Yeah.” She sighed.


	3. File 17: The Haunting at Shinji Orphanage, pt. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mai discusses the dreams in depth and the SPR gang catch their first glimpses of Cecilia and Shinji in action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Ghost Hunt belongs to Fuyumi Ono and Shiho Inada.
> 
> I'm posting this early in celebration of Halloween. So, happy Halloween, everyone!

**Day 2**

**2 a.m.**

            Naru was waiting for her with a cup of tea the moment she stepped back into the bedroom. She focused on him instead of on the dresser and the stains of blood she knew were on the floor. Her boss—her pretty, sometimes kind boss—who cared more than he liked to admit. Her heart warmed at his gesture; and her face threatened to flush at the concerned light to his indigo eyes. Naru held the cup out to her silently. She smiled and took the saucer and cup from Naru’s hands. The heat from the cup chased away the chill that still lingered in her hands; and a sip of the tea worked wonders for the chill inside of her. Green tea, not his usual black. She smiled softly. He had been paying attention.  

            “This is becoming a tradition between us,” Mai teased half-heartedly; her voice was still silently hoarse from the amount of vomiting she had done just seconds ago. Naru nodded; but she felt that if the others had not been there, he would have offered that small smile of his. She smiled softly because he wouldn’t.

            For a moment, they just stood in there in the bedroom. Mai was aware of the others in the room, watching them—both worrying and studying their interactions. Mai broke Naru’s gaze first as she moved back toward the bed. Not the one she had slept in, but the one closest to the door. Masako’s bed…the bed Kimi had been attacked in. Mai swallowed and took another sip of tea.   

            “What happened in your dream?” Naru asked. Mai closed her eyes.

            “Naru!” Ayako complained sharply. Mai shook her head at the redhead, stopping what she was sure was a tirade about waiting until morning to hear the story.

             “It needs to be now, Ayako,” she said, coming to Naru’s defense. She was certain that if she waited until morning, her mind would block out much of the traumatizing memory and leave her scrambling. Still, that didn’t mean she liked having to tell it. She tightened her fingers around the fragile tea handle and started the story. “I saw the night Cecilia died or rather…I was Cecilia when she died.” She looked up at Naru. “She may have passed on in the room she was found in, but her injuries were sustained here.” She informed them all. Mai blocked out the thought of what that must have meant. She swallowed down a little more tea to calm herself and then started again.

            “Shinji was attempting to rape a young girl in the orphanage. I suppose Cecilia heard her screams and ran into the room. She threw Shinji off of her and told her to run. Cecilia…stayed behind to hold him back.” Mai trailed off, breaking eye contact with Naru. The memory rose up in her head. The way Cecilia had only thought of Kimi, not of the damage he would inflict upon her. Inhabiting her form, hearing her thoughts, Mai knew Cecilia was aware that one day Shinji would kill her; and Mai felt all the more saddened for it. Cecilia hadn’t felt fear; she had only felt desperation to save Kimi and resignation over her eventual death. Mai’s fingers started to vibrate so hard that the tea in her cup was sloshing close to the edge. A pair of familiar hands, Naru’s hands, came to rest over hers. Gently, her boss took the cup from her hands and placed it on the nightstand, just within her reach should she want it again. She spared him a small smile and continued. “He beat her for her interference, but then…he attempted to sexual assault her. She fought him off until he slammed her head into the dresser.”  

            Monk, who had been leaning against it, now retreated away from it. “There’s a piece of it missing. We had just dismissed it as unavoidable damage—what with all of the water that drained down from the third floor….are you telling me…”

            “Shinji beat her head against the corner of the dresser until she was too concussed to fight him anymore…” Mai informed them quietly, trying to keep the memories at bay. A small silence fell over the room.

            “But that doesn’t explain your reaction…” Monk pointed out, sounding almost fearful in his concern. “This was worse than the Urado case.” Mai swallowed the bile that threatened to rise in her throat. She reached for the cup again and took a deep drink to wash the bitter taste down. She kept drinking the hot, slightly bitter liquid until it was easy to swallow, and then lowered the nearly empty cup to her knee.  

            “He raped her as she lie there, unable to move,” she said quietly. Her hands clenched tightly around the tea cup. Shivers rippled up and down her spine at the memory of his rough hands and the violation he had subjected Cecilia too. Cecilia hadn’t been able to feel it, but a part of Mai still could. Every single bit.   

            “Oh my god,” Ayako breathed as she pieced together Mai’s experience. The redhead quickly turned her horror onto Monk for making her say it. She smacked him up top his head with her open palm. The usual fighting that followed that sound was absent. For a moment, no one spoke. No one moved. Mai kept her eyes on the tea swirling around in the cup.

            “Masako,” Naru spoke suddenly. The medium sat up and turned her eyes away from her pale friend to the man who spoke. His eyes however were focused on Mai’s downcast form. They tracked every movement of her twitching fingers, the way her body trembled underneath the weight of what she had seen. Masako wondered if he knew just how much of himself he was baring for them to see. The depth of his concern, the weight of his sadness, and the heat of his anger were all within his eyes. It looked as though he was physically fighting with himself. The need to look away to address her warred with his need to make certain Mai was alright. Finally, he seemed to win the war and looked toward the medium, but his eyes were still so unguarded, his expression almost raw. Not that Masako could blame him; Mai’s pain, Mai’s story had affected all of them. “I want you to start teaching Mai your protection methods.” Masako nodded.

            “Of course,” she agreed readily. Tonight had made it clear that Mai’s visions left her open. If Cecilia had wanted, she could have possessed Mai easily and no one would have known it. Her compassion made her a walking beacon for spirits; and while she doubted Mai would ever be able to turn off that side of her, Masako could teach her how to better ward herself against possessions and other attacks. “Clearly, we can’t trust Matsuzaki-san’s feeble wards to protect us.” She joked, trying to lighten the mood.

            “Why, you!” Ayako protested half-heartedly. The women shared a worried look whenever Mai showed zero reaction. Her eyes were still fixed on the tea she was swirling around and around in the cup. She wasn’t even blinking. Ayako clenched her hands together in front of her lap. _‘Did retelling the vision force her into shock?’_ She worried. Mai hadn’t stopped shivering since coming back from the bathroom, but the shakes had become worse after Monk’s question. 

            “Mai,” Naru called, his voice just as soft as it had been all night. “Would you like another cup?” Mai blinked and looked up at him. He felt his stomach sink at the dullness of her eyes. Somehow, the extinguishing of her light—no matter how temporary—hurt more than the quivering of her body. 

            “I’ll come with you,” she muttered, trying not to sound as broken as she felt. The others fell silent as she stood and followed Naru from the room. She tried not to listen as they turned to one another and spoke in hushed, worried tones about her.

            She sighed. “Naru,” she didn’t want to think about the dream, but she had to ask, “Do you think…its possible Cecilia crawled into the room the girls used to be in? Too dazed from her concussion, too confused to realize that they weren’t there anymore?”

            “It seems likely,” Naru said. “Try not to think about it anymore tonight, Mai.” He sighed.

            “I don’t know that I’m going to be able to forget,” she argued quietly. “I can still feel…” She trailed off; another violent shiver rippled down her spine. Naru frowned, filling in what she didn’t say. It was moments like these he fervently wished he knew how to comfort people like his brother, that he was as comfortable with touch as his brother had been. It have been nothing for Gene to reach across the small space between them and wrap an arm around her shoulder; but, for Naru, his arm felt too heavy. The thought of touch felt too foreign.

            But…

            _Mai_ was hurting. He closed his eyes. He was likely one of the only people in the building that could understand what she was going through---how it felt too truly feel a violation like that. Back then, Gene had been the only one capable of calming him down before he destroyed the room. While Mai wasn’t quite the same as him power wise, he could still remember the havoc such an experience had dealt to his psyche and his body; and he could feel similar signs in her. She wouldn’t rip a room apart or bring a building down in her distress; but, for some reason, he felt the same urgency, the same need to comfort her that his brother had. Naru could practically hear how her body tremored; the teacup clinked in time with every jerk her body gave. Her breathing was quick and caught in places like she was fighting to keep from falling apart. His heart, his consciousness couldn’t let her hurt alone.  

            He reached across the small space slowly and settled his hand on her shoulder. It felt awkward, pulling her to his side, but the flashes of what she had experienced trapped in the vision never came. Her clothing was too thick. Mai’s shoulders tightened at his touch, but she didn’t resist his comfort. The uncomfortable feeling of touching someone else almost threatened to make him let go, but before he could she buried her head into his shoulder and let out the most pathetic, heart-wrenching sound. The discomfort he felt faded into a mild tingle as he became more concerned with Mai.

            Mai let the saucer and teacup fall to the floor as she wrapped her arms around his narrow waist and buried her head into his chest. Naru wrapped his free arm around her, embracing her fully; he kept his hold on her loose so that if she wished, she could easily break free. He didn’t speak; comforting words usually escaped him.

            In the semi dark hallway in front of the base, Naru simply held her and let her cry; his heart aching with hers.  

X

            “Do…” Monk almost didn’t want to ask, but Mai’s experience worried him for their resident medium. “Do you…”

            “No, not anymore.” Masako put the pieces of his question together using deductive reasoning and her knowledge of what that look on his face meant. She smiled, half reassuring, half sad. “I was taught from a young age how to filter what the spirits showed me. Still, learning what they went through, but not feeling it for myself.”

            “Could Mai learn to do that?” Ayako asked. Masako frowned.

            “I’m uncertain. Pre- and post-cognitive dreams are very different from my visions as a medium. Mai would have to learn how to control her dream, how to pull herself from the spirit. That is something I can’t teach her.”

            A small silence fell over the remaining group. Monk, John, and Lin were reluctant to return to their rooms; they could still here Mai crying out in the hall.

            “Still, I wonder what she was doing on the floor…” John muttered. “Most of her visions have happened while she’s asleep…and then there was the incident in the bedroom down the hall earlier.”

            “Her powers are growing,” Lin sighed. “Developing past the latency stage.”  

              “It doesn’t help that she’s practically a beacon,” Ayako muttered. “Her compassion coupled with her ability to astral project makes her more vulnerable than we are.” Lin nodded in agreement.  

            “Been doing some reading?” Monk half-teased; as long as he could still hear Mai crying, his heart wasn’t in it. Ayako glared at him, but didn’t rise to the bait. Monk sighed. “Yeah, me too.” He admitted. After discovering the nature of Mai’s abilities, Monk had been understandably afraid for her. Astral projection was dangerous; and Mai was untrained.

            “We could all probably benefit from studying her abilities further,” John said. “That way, we’d know how to help her whenever she’s trapped in a vision like tonight.”

            “I don’t know that I could witness another night like tonight,” Ayako whispered, clenching her fists to hide their own tremors. Never before in her life had she felt so helpless, watching Mai fight against a force they could see: seeing her hands stop in the air, as if she were hitting something they couldn’t see, and hearing the awful screams of fear and pain.

            “Me neither,” John answered, his voice quiet.

            “Once Mai has calmed,” Lin started, the first to acknowledge the girl’s sobbing outside, “I want you two to move into the base. You’ll be sleeping there for the rest of this case.”

            “Okay.” Masako agreed.

            “Sure,” Ayako seconded readily. She hadn’t been too thrilled about sleeping in this room anyway, but she was even less happy about it now that she knew the full extent of the horrors that happened in this room.

X

            Mai couldn’t find it in herself to be embarrassed. She couldn’t feel anything but overwhelming sadness, violation, and disgust. Though she knew her touch was likely making Naru uncomfortable, she couldn’t bring herself to let go. He was the only thing keeping her from sinking to her knees on the now tea-stained floor. His presence was solid; his silence deeply appreciated. She didn’t need talking right now; she didn’t need the concerned looks, the shushing touches. She just needed what he was doing: letting her cry. With every tear she shed, she felt some of the choking emotions she had been carrying with her fall away.

            Crying had always been therapeutic for her. The others didn’t seem to understand that. Monk, Ayako, John, Yasuhara, and Masako always seemed to try and cheer her up; while their care was appreciated, she felt like she couldn’t truly cry in front of them. She had to bottle the need for their comfort. In this moment, she was beyond thankful that Naru was different. While she could feel his upset in the way his fingers seemed to tighten in her clothing, she didn’t feel judgement or guilty for crying. She felt like he would stand here in this hallway, holding her, and letting her cry for as long as she needed.

            And he did.

            Naru stood there, holding her, until her tears finally dried. She pushed gently against his chest and felt his arms fall away from her waist. “Thank you,” she whispered as she stepped back from him. She dared a glance up into his eyes; her traitorous but tired heart quickened slightly at the look in his eyes. She had never seen him so tender. Naru’s lips quirked into a small, tender smile. Mai could feel a blush threatening to rise to her cheeks; she dropped her eyes to the floor. “Oh no…” Mai moaned as her eyes landed on the broken china on the hardwood.

             “Don’t worry about it,” Naru told her. Her horror over the broken property overrode the sudden rush of attraction and embarrassment she felt toward him; it helped that whenever she looked up at him again, the tender expression was gone. 

             “But Naru, that didn’t belong to us!” Mai protested her boss’ nonchalant attitude.

             “I doubt the Wakaba’s cared much for old china, Mai. Leave it.” Mai opened her mouth to argue, but Naru gave her a look. “If they fuss, I’ll reimburse them.” Mai closed her mouth and nodded.

             “Okay,” she let it go.

             “Do you still want tea?” Naru asked. Mai thought for a moment and shook her head negative. “Alright. Go to the base. You, along with Miss. Hara and Matsuzaki, will be sleeping in the base for the duration of this case. Lin, Monk, and I will bring up some bedrolls from the van.” 

             Monk and Lin waited until Mai was inside the base before they left the bedroom the girls were in. John, Masako, and Ayako came out just behind them. “What do you want me to do?” John asked.

           “Stay here and keep an eye on the girls.” John nodded. “Ayako, Masako, collect Mai’s and your own things and go to the base. Don’t go anywhere without company.”

           “Not going to be a problem,” Ayako sassed. Masako nodded in agreement.

           “Alright, let’s get started,” Monk spoke up. Together, Naru, Lin, and Monk walked down the stairs; Ayako and Masako walked into the girls’ bedroom and began to gather their things; and John entered the base.

           A small smile graced his lips as his eyes found Mai. She was lying on the couch; her head was cushioned by her bend arm, her knees draw up to her chest. She wasn’t asleep but he could tell that she didn’t wish to be disturbed. John had no issue honoring that. There was no need for more talking tonight. 

X

**2 p.m.**

X

            “The reason all of the spirits are so attracted to you is because of your compassion, your empathy for what they have suffered. That alone doesn’t put you in danger. It’s your lack of training that endangers you. I can’t give you all of the training you need, but I can teach you ways to guard against unwanted possessions and forced visions…” Masako trailed off as Mai stared at her. Her eyes were blank and fixed on the tree they had passed earlier. Masako sighed. She had hoped that getting Mai out of the house would help her concentration. Masako knew firsthand how clouded the senses could become when one was surrounded by spirits.

            For that reason, Masako had opted to have their lessons in the van, but Mai’s focus kept sliding away from the lesson. She would ask a question and then it seemed as though she didn’t hear the answer. Her eyes kept sliding out the window to a patch of gravel underneath the tree. Masako didn’t blame her; even from their sheltered place, she could still feel Shinji’s lingering hate and rage attached to the gravel. It was frustrating, however; and her constant distraction drove home just how important these lessons were.

            Masako reached forward and snapped two fingers in front of the other girl’s face. Mai blinked and jerked her attention back to her friend. “You need to pay attention,” she scolded, but her words lacked any frustration.

            “I’m sorry,” Mai apologized for what seemed like the hundredth time today. She couldn’t help looking at Masako oddly. Ever since last night, she had been acting differently toward her. In fact, everyone had. Ayako had been treating her more gently too. It was getting kind of annoying; but from Masako, it was just downright weird. While they were friends now and Masako was quicker to show her concern, she didn’t usually hide her frustration whenever Mai was inattentive. This was the fifth time Mai’s attention had drifted during the lesson. Masako’s forced patience was getting eerie. “You were talking about how to guard myself against possession.”

            “Yes, as you saw in that one case, I do know how to exorcise spirits and I will teach you the mantra; but, as a medium, I would rather cleanse the spirits than have to exorcise. So, I, and many others in my profession, have implemented different techniques to guard against a violent possession or any violation to our person that we did not invite. Some new age spiritualists have warding charms tattooed into their skin, but I would rather not scar my image with such things.” Mai thought they sounded cool, but each to their own she supposed. “The method I use is this,” she peeled back her kimono collar to reveal a tag label. “There is a charm stitched into each kimono I own. It protects me from violent possession.”

            “So…you’re saying I need to get charms sown into my clothes?”

            “No. Each method used is unique to the person. It would likely cost you too much to have it done. I would suggest engraving it into the back of a necklace.”

            “Does Naru know you have charms stitched into your clothes?” She asked without thinking.

            “No. And why would he?” Masako snapped, blushing. Mai blinked. _‘Wow. That was the first sign I’ve gotten of the real Masako all morning. I wonder what….OH!’_ Mai flushed.

            “I’m so sorry!” She cried.  “I didn’t mean…”

            “I know you didn’t.” Masako interrupted gently. Mai sighed quietly. _‘And imposter Masako is back again. I swear, I wish they would stop walking on eggshells around me…’_ “The charms in my clothing are not a widely known secret. My credibility would be called in to question if the masses knew. As I said, the charm only protects me from violent possession, but to those who don’t know the difference, I would appear to be a fraud.”

            “I see.” Mai muttered and really she did. The Kasai case had proven to her just how cruel the media could be with the slightest waver in spiritual abilities; she imagined the same reaction would come from finding out that a spiritual medium had anti-possession charms sown into her clothing. No matter the explanation, it would be an outright massacre on Masako’s reputation.

              “There are also meditation techniques you could try to apply to calm yourself before entering a house.” Before Mai could interrupt with yet another question, Masako continued. “It could be as simple as breathing deeply in through your nose for six seconds, holding it for three seconds, and then breathing out through your mouth for five as many times as necessary for you to feel calm. Try not to relax too much though as you could leave yourself open for an unwanted possession.”

            “O—okay.” That was better than what she had first imagined when Masako said meditation. She had seen the videos in physical education. She didn’t think she could sit still long enough to mediate. “Is that what you do before entering a house?”

            “Usually,” Masako allowed. “Or I practice it in the front yard before I get out of the car. You never know the kind of the spirit you will encounter when you step into a house. You must not let their emotions overwhelm you. The key is knowing your own feelings and keeping those at the forefront of your mind. Acknowledge the spirits’ feelings, but don’t allow yourself to become so attuned with them that you accidently channel one of the spirits.”

            “Right.”

            “Unfortunately, I don’t know how to advise you on how to protect yourself when you sleep. I don’t have the same abilities you do in that area…” Masako seemed reluctant to admit that Mai could do something she couldn’t and even more reluctant to admit that she had no idea how to help her. Mai smiled.

            “That’s alright. I’m sure Naru knows some parapsychologist or something that could help me,” she dismissed Masako’s concerns with a laugh. The medium brought her kimono sleeve up to her lips to hide the grimace on her lips. Mai’s comment had unknowingly touched on a sore spot between her boss and her medium friend.

            “Yes. I’m certain he does,” she muttered. He needed to recommend Mai to colleagues that could help instead of saddling her with those associated with the Japan branch. Though loathe to admit, Masako felt as if she had a duty to Mai as a fellow spiritualist and she felt as if she were failing her. If Naru didn’t arrange Mai help soon, Masako would go behind his back and write the Britain branch.

            “Speaking of Naru,” Mai muttered as if suddenly remembering their ill-tempered boss. In truth, she didn’t want to sit here any longer. Masako was freaking her out. She kept giving her these worried looks that didn’t fit with the Masako she was used to. _‘I swear Naru had better not treat me like glass…’_

_“Mai, dear, would you mind getting me some tea?”_ She heard Naru’s voice in her head, soft like Gene’s. She swallowed as chills erupted on her body. _‘That’s too weird!’_

“W-we should probably go back inside,” Mai suggested as she rubbed her arms. A small twitch traveled through her eye as Masako gave her yet another concerned look.  

_‘Please be the same, Naru!’_

            Mai tried to suppress her aggravation as immediately Ayako and Bou-san swarmed her the moment she stepped back into the base.

            “How are you feeling, kiddo?” Bou-san asked, ruffling her hair like he normally would. Now, usually, Mai would find his concern touching; but she had put up with the concerned glances and the worried whispers all night and well into this morning. The only break she had gotten was whenever she had gone to the restroom and walked with Masako down to the van! Mai grit her teeth.

            “Do you need anything for your throat?” Ayako asked. “You were pretty sick last night.” Again, this question had been asked already. Ayako had gone through them all this morning before she finally broke down and let her leave with Masako.

            “Guys…” Mai hissed through her teeth.

            “Mai,” Naru’s voice cut through the noise easily. Mai looked at him, daring him to treat her like the others and, all the while, praying that he wouldn’t. His holding her during her break down last night had been all of the concern from him that she could safely take. “Tea.”

            “Oh thank god.” Mai breathed. The relief nearly made her knees weak. She hadn’t seen him since this morning; they always just missed one another. She had thought that he was avoiding her after last night and worried that it meant he felt the same as the others: _poor little Mai saw something horrifying and now we need to treat her like fragile glass._  

            “Did she just…”

            “Thank Naru for demanding tea?!” Ayako finished Bou-san’s sentence with wide eyes.

            “Well, he’s the only one acting normal around here!” Mai exploded, pointing at her boss. Naru raised an eyebrow. “I appreciate the concern, guys, really I do, but I’m **okay**! Here, I’ll prove it to you!” She turned on her foot and stomped out of the room.

            “Mai.”

            “I’m going to make your damned tea!” She snapped. His disapproving tone stoked the fires of her already burning irritation. Naru raised a brow; it was with that that Mai remembered. “Oh…right. Someone is supposed to come with me.” She looked at her options and blanched. “Lin?” She nearly whined. The corner of his mouth twitched as he shook his head. She turned her eyes to Naru. She really didn’t want to be alone with him right now—not after the way she snapped at him—but she really didn’t want to be left alone with the others either.

            Naru sighed and set his book aside. Mai felt like cheering as he stood up; Naru took in the reluctant delight and relief in her expression as he walked toward her. He didn’t know whether to be offended that she thought he wasn’t concerned or not. He _was_ concerned, but he could see that she was snapping back to her usual self and didn’t see the point in coddling her.

            As they walked down the hall, Mai kept sneaking glances at her boss. The silence around them was uncomfortable for her. Silence from Naru wasn’t unusual, but she had snapped at him. She had expected him to scold her for talking to her superiors that way or something. “I’m sorry I snapped at you,” Mai murmured. 

            “I understand,” he told her. Mai twitched. _‘Come on, Naru! Where’s the jab about how my comment wasn’t nearly enough to frustrate you?!’_

            “You’re just doing this to annoy me, aren’t you?”

            “Wouldn’t dream of it, _dear_.”

            “ACK! Don’t do that!” Mai protested, waving her hands back and forth in front of her as if to ward him away. Naru smirked.

X

            The kitchen was much smaller than any orphanage Mai had seen. It only contained one stove, two counters, a sink, and a refrigerator—all lined up against one wall. Two cabinets hung beside the range above the stove.

            Mai thanked her insight to bring her own tea. Really, working for Naru had made it necessary. He was such a tea addict. She didn’t, however, bring her own kettle, pot, or cups; but these items weren’t hard to find. The kettle was easy to reach, being on the bottom self, but the pot and cups were more difficult from their position on the top shelf. Mai looked over her shoulder, intending to ask Naru for help, but he had sat down at the small table in the corner of the kitchen. _‘Typical.’_ Mai stretched up on her toes. Her fingertips barely brushed the ceramic teapot. She dropped back down with an annoyed huff and tried again. Still no good. She was too short. Mai sighed.

          “Na--” Mai was cut off as she felt a body behind her. She didn’t move as Naru’s arm passed her line of sight. Mai swallowed and stepped clumsily out of the way. Naru spared her a slight, amused glance as he took down the small tea set she needed.

          “Shrimp,” he muttered, too quiet for the camera audio to pick up. Mai narrowed her eyes.

          “I’m 5’4”!” She protested heatedly. “That’s a perfectly average height!”

          “Glad to hear you acknowledge that you’re average,” Naru returned as he sat back down at the kitchen table. 

          “Ugh! At least I’m not a pretentious, prissy, pretty boy, _Naru_!” Mai snapped as she assessed the set Naru had gotten down. The set was in really good condition; there were no chips in the cups or pot, no dust. _‘Heisuke and Mrs. Wakaba must use this set whenever they are working here…’_ There weren’t that many cups, really only enough for two people, but that was okay. She still had the mugs from their last case. She would just have Ayako or Masako go with her so she could retrieve them from her case in the room.

           “One can only be so lucky,” Naru took her attention again. Mai puffed her cheeks.

           “Trust fund bastard,” she grumbled as she busied herself making tea so that they could get back to the base faster. A small smile worked its way onto her face as she waited for the water to come to a boil. Mai had missed this while Naru had been in England. She turned around and leaned against the counter. She blinked. Naru was staring at her. She tilted her head in curiosity.

            “What is it?” Mai asked. Had he heard her though she trying to be quiet?  

            “I am going to ask you about your dream again whenever we get back to the base,” Naru felt he needed to warn her. So far, Mai was making progress coming back to the girl he knew; but he wouldn’t let himself to lull into a false sense of security by it. This was most likely the calm before the storm. Mai likely hadn’t allowed herself to completely process what had happened to her. He would not force her to unless it harmed her functionality as a member of their team. Mai paled.

            “Why?” She asked quietly; her eyes sought the floor instead of him. Naru bit the inside of his cheek. He did not want to force her to relive it. He sighed and decided to bite the bullet. Lin needed to record the information she had given them for the case, and they needed a more detailed description of the night to determine _why_ Shinji and Cecilia had chosen to stick around after their deaths. The reason would determine the best way to exorcise or cleanse them.

            “After visions involving sexual assault, usually, emotions are running too high. In the fear and panic, it is easier to forget smaller details.” Mai swallowed at his explanation. His clinical tone was irritating. “I…I do not wish to make you relive it. Yet…”

            “The smallest detail could be vital to the case,” Mai wanted to scream. She was his lab rat! His magic eight ball! The kettle behind her screamed for her. She turned around on her heel. Mai jerked the kettle off of the eye and started on the tea. She wanted to scream at him, to throw things at his stupid, handsome head. _‘Why would he ask me to relive it?!’_ She demanded, but she knew he had given her a reason. It was a solid reason. That didn’t make it fair to her. She felt her lower lip tremble; she sank her teeth into it to force it to stop.

            Naru closed his eyes. He could practically feel her anger pulsing off of her. She didn’t want to relieve it; and he meant it when he said he didn’t want her to have too. The memory of what he had seen last night upon entering that room would likely not leave him for a very long time.

           Her screams had awoken them all. The raw, fearful screams had propelled all of the men out of bed and down the hallway; but Naru had been the first in the room. Mai’s body was close to blocking the door, but she had been moving around enough to allow Naru to slip in easily. At first, he had seen Ayako and Masako. The medium and priestess both were crying, but Ayako was closer to Mai. It seemed that she was leery about touching Mai. Then hardly a second after this observation, he had looked at Mai. 

           Tears had been streaming down her face as she tried in vain to fight off something that wasn’t really there. The more horrifying part was that her hands would stop in the air abruptly as if she were actually hitting something, but Masako had shaken her head. Nothing was in the room with them. Whatever demon Mai was fighting, it was one in her vision. Her legs and elbows had banged loudly and painfully against the floor, walls, and dresser. It had been an effort to dissuade Ayako from attempting to wake her. It had been even harder not to do it himself. If they had woken her, she would have been trapped in that moment. Unable to decipher the nightmare had been Cecilia’s last moment from the reality she lived in; ultimately, waking her would have caused her more harm.

            Yet, there was a moment near the end—when she had slumped as if giving up, tears still streaming down her cheeks—that he had wanted to say the hell with it. He had nearly let his emotions get the better of him again….and it did not escape his notice that, once again, Mai was involved. Thankfully, the rational side of him had known and remained in complete control as it should.

            Now, he was asking her to relive all of that horror simply for the case. It was in her job description as an investigator, but that logic did not make him feel better. If anything, just thinking it had made him feel more an ass. He was feeling guilty; he didn’t like it.

            A series of clinking noises brought him back to the present. Mai was arranging the tea cups she had found onto the tray along with the tea pot. Then, without looking at him, she walked toward the archway. Naru stood from the chair and followed her without comment. He would allow her the anger because this…this was justified. It was not her misunderstanding him. She understood what he was asking of her perfectly; and she had a right to be angry. So, he would let her. He would bare her silence as long as she did as he asked in the base later.

            Mai hated every second of the walk because she was so aware of him. She didn’t think he even noticed, but he kept glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. His less-than-obvious concern for her was making it really hard for her to stay angry at him. 

            “You’re a real bastard, you know that,” Mai grumbled as they walked down the hall, surprising him. He looked over at her. She was looking at him from the corner of her eye.

            “I know,” he acknowledged, sighing.              

X

            Mai could feel everyone staring at her whenever they reentered the base, but she didn’t acknowledge any of them. Instead, she walked to the coffee table, set the tea tray down, and began serving Naru his tea.

            Whenever Naru came to sit down, he had Lin behind him. Mai felt when everyone focused in on the computer underneath Lin’s arm and connected the dots. Mai was going to retell the horror from last night.

            “No way!” Monk exploded, stepping closer to the two teens.

            “You can’t expect her to-” Ayako was cut off by Naru’s hand raising. The priestess eyed the appendage in the air as if she wanted nothing more than to rip it off and shove it down the pretty boy’s throat.

            “Mai has agreed to retell it,” Naru oversimplified. Mai fought off a twitch. There was no agreement. He told her he would ask her; she knew she was expected to follow through. Mai breathed out as the anger from earlier threatened to overwhelm her. ‘ _Think of Cecilia,’_ she told herself. _‘Think of her. She has been reliving this nightmare every night for the past five years. The least I can do is relive it twice.’_

            “Is this true, Mai?” Monk asked. Mai blinked as suddenly Bou-san’s brown eyes were almost level with her own. Her heart almost melted at the concern in his eyes. He was making sure Naru didn’t bully her into it. She knew, in that moment, that if she told Monk no, he would make certain she wouldn’t have to tell it. Even so, she nodded.

            “I agreed,” she lied through her teeth. “Cecilia deserves to be put to rest; if something in my dream, some small detail I missed, can point us in the right direction, we owe it to her to try.” Monk bowed his head.

            “Okay,” he sighed. He pushed off of his knee, stood up, and cast a glare at Naru over his shoulder. Naru simply stared at her, dismissing Monk completely, as he waited for Mai to start. Mai sighed.

            “Earlier in the kitchen, Naru said that there was a possibility I had forgotten things in all of the horror.” Oh, her saving him from Monk’s wrath then did not mean she was going to make it easy on him. Every eye, excluding Lin’s and Masako’s, narrowed onto Naru. “And he was right. In all of that, I had forgotten to mention there was a dream right before.”

            “What happened in this dream?” Naru asked, crossing his legs in front of him. Mai knew he was settling in for a long story. Sitting across from him like this reminded her of him in her dreams. He had said that he couldn’t go into the dream with her because Cecilia was blocking him. 

            “It wasn’t like the Urado case or the vision that happened in the bedroom where Cecilia was found. In the dream, I was aware that I was dreaming. I was Cecilia, but I wasn’t. I saw, heard, and inferred everything she did, but was aware I was my own person. I could not feel her physical pain as I could in the vision that came after the dream. Last night, I could feel all of the things that Cecilia felt…” Mai described the differences in the dream with ease. Out of the corner of her eye, she noted that Masako seemed to becoming tenser. “Anyway, the dream. Shinji apparently drank heavily the nights his wife left him. The girls were already hiding in the bedroom. Cecilia had taught them how to barricade the door using the dresser. At that time, the rug that is in front of the door now had been underneath the dresser. That is why I was on the floor whenever you guys came in.” Naru’s relaxed posture vanished in a second; even Lin stalled in his typing for a moment. Mai trailed off, alarmed. What had she said? 

            “Did you touch the dresser?” Mai went to shake her head, then paused. She couldn’t remember if she had actually touched the dresser or not; there was too much confusion afterward. 

            “I don’t remember. I just…remember hearing screams, looking toward Masako’s bed, and then…the room faded back to five years ago. Masako was no longer in it, but Kimi was…and Shinji was on top of her.” Mai shuddered. She cleared her throat and moved back to the dream she had had before that awful vision.  

            “Apparently, Shinji had decided he had enough alcohol for the night and now he wanted to torment the children. Cecilia walked out whenever he started calling for the girls and started to antagonize him, insulting him until he was too angry to try and get past her.” Mai felt a flush spread on her cheeks as she recalled some of the words the girl had used. “I think it was a common thing between them. She would make him so angry that he would beat on her rather than trying to attack the girls…but she would also make him angrier so that he wouldn’t hurt her in _that_ way. The dream only ended when he had beaten her unconscious.”    

            “And your second dream?” Naru asked. Mai stared into his face as she repeated exactly what she had told him last night except with more detail. She told him of Cecilia flinging him off Kimi, her fighting with him, his attempts at making her perform oral sex, her biting him, and his beating her head into the dresser until she was fighting for consciousness. And then, as she lie unconscious on the floor, he raped her.

            The silence in the room was suffocating; the clicking of Lin’s fingers against the keyboard as he finished up that section of his report was the only sound to fill it. Mai blinked, breaking the staring contest she had unknowingly entered into with Naru. It was only now that she was aware of the tears. She reached up to wipe them away, but found a tissue being extended to her. She looked over to see John. His gentle smile was unwavering as she took it.

            “Thanks,” she murmured as she dapped at her eyes.

            “I don’t understand,” Ayako spoke up suddenly. “Why wouldn’t Wakaba-san try to clean up the blood? Why just cover it with a rug? If it was shock, I would understand, but she had left it for five years. I’m amazed Mai was even able to get the rug up without waking us. What she says and what she does don’t really add up…”

            “On top of that,” Monk continued, “she doesn’t really seem to be trying to fix the place up. She half-doing it. The hallway flooring has been replaced on the first two levels, but the bedrooms are mostly untouched. And she’s completely ignoring the ceilings.”

            “But she doesn’t seem possessed,” Mai pointed out.

            “It is likely that she is being influenced by Shinji,” Naru mused. Mai looked over at him. He was in his thinking pose: one finger underneath his bottom lip; his free arm crossed around his waist. His bangs just barely covered his eyes from her view, but the slashes of indigo she could see were filled with contemplation.

             It really wasn’t fair for him to be so attractive. Her concentration was quickly back on the words coming out of her boss’ mouth rather than his appearance when he went “paranormal professor” as she had nicknamed it. “She has been attempting to fix this place up for two months. That is long enough for Shinji to worm his way into her psyche.”

            “It would also be a reason for her to keep trying to fix up this train wreck of a house,” Monk muttered. “He’s likely threatened to hurt her if she contemplates giving up on this place. Reopening the orphanage means new victims.” Mai shuddered. Monk was onto something there.  

            “We will have to wait until Mrs. Wakaba comes back to question her.”

            “I don’t think we will be able to get much out of her,” Mai muttered. Naru quirked a brow at her. Mai lifted her chin a little and said louder, “you saw how she reacted whenever we tried to question her about the hauntings. She was cagey and only really told us about the past.”

            “So, what do you think we should do?” He asked.

            “Call in Heisuke,” Mai suggested. “He was a lot more forthcoming about the incidents…and there are likely some things that his mother has told him in confidence that we could make him share with us.”

            “Jou-chan!” Monk gasped, slapping a hand across his chest. “Are you suggesting emotional manipulation?!”

            “I like the way you think,” Ayako laughed. Mai blanched at the almost appraising look Ayako gave her. She pitied the man that ended up with the redhead.  

            “Not emotional manipulation,” she protested. “We just tell him the truth. His mother could be in danger, so we need to know everything.” That did sound a little like she was suggesting they use his love for his mother against him…Mai frowned.

            “Alright,” Naru agreed before the others could continue to poke fun at her. “We’ll call in Heisuke instead of his mother.” He turned to Lin. “What time are did Mrs. Wakaba say that they would be back?”

           “Sometime around four.” Lin paused. “We’ve got two hours.”

           “Enough time for the girls to move rooms then,” Naru said. Mai blinked. “Cecilia’s personal connection to the room makes our wards useless against her. While she may not be a violent spirit, we don’t need to take the risk of her turning on this case.” A look into his face told her that he was explaining for her benefit. She glared. He didn't have to do that anymore, no matter what he thought. She could grasp certain concepts on her own now. 

           “You know, you act like you explain all of this stuff for my benefit,” she did quotations around the last two words, “but I’m beginning to think you just like to hear the sound of your own voice.” She snapped as she stood up from the couch. 

           “It is usually the only intelligent thing I hear all day,” Naru drawled, not missing a beat.

           “Must be lonely being that conceited,” Mai paused.

           “On the contrary, I find it quite stimulating.”

           “I’m sure you do,” Mai muttered not quite as quietly as she had hoped. Monk, the closest to her, collapsed into laughter. John turned red. Mai’s eyes widened as she realized just what she had implied. She glanced at her boss out of the corner of her eye only to be distracted by the shaking of Lin’s shoulders. Naru gave no indication that he had even heard her.

          Then her eyes focused on something else entirely. There was movement on the monitor. She leaned forward a little, trying to make it clear. It could have been a trick of the light, but she thought she saw something. Then, the little flicker formed. She shot to her feet, startling everyone. “Monitor A. It’s Shinji!” she pointed. Naru stood up from his couch and hurried to see what Mai had seen. The humor in the room evaporated as they all focused in on the monitor. The monitor started to indicate the dropping of the temperature in the room; Naru’s eyes widened as the temperature kept plummeting.

          Monitor A was the kitchen. She could see him walking along the floor, looking over his shoulder, and then stooping down and reaching into the back of a cabinet. When he straightened, he had the can of rat poison they had purchased yesterday. Mai paled as they watched him set it on the counter. He reached up for the tea cups. The moment he found them missing, he flickered out, leaving the open can of rat poison on the table.

          “Did we somehow interrupt his routine?” She asked, looking over her shoulder at the tea cups. Her eyes widened as she realized what she had just said. His daily routine was to put poison in the cups. She snapped her head back around to look at Naru. They had both drank out of the teacups. “You don’t…”

          “The tea did not taste any different,” Naru soothed her. Surprisingly to the others, it worked; but Mai knew Naru had paid close attention to his tea. He truly would have noticed and pointed it out if her tea tasted any different. “However, his movements are telling on their own. Someone in the house—be it Mrs. Wakaba or Heisuke—washes those cups out every day once they get in. That confirms they know more than they are telling us. We have a two hour window until the Wakaba family returns. John, Miss Hara, I want the two of you to walk about. Try to get a feel for where the most spirit activity happens. Monk, Matsuzaki-san, I want the two of you to go out and question the neighbor that picked up the young girl. Mai, Lin, I want the two of you to stay in the base. Stay on the monitors and alert me to the first signs of movement.”

          “And what will you be doing on fearless leader?” Ayako asked. Naru looked at her.

          “I am going to check out the third floor.”

          “What? Why?” Mai protested immediately.

          “It’s a complete disaster up there. I’m telling you, man, you could fall through the floor any second.” Bou-san interjected.

          “Yet, Mrs. Wakaba was able to get up there all on her own, possibly with a ladder,” Naru countered. “Clearly, there are places in the floor that are sturdier than others.”

          “Fine, you know what, go ahead.” Bou-san threw up his hands, done arguing. 

          “I’ll be ready to patch you up if you fall through,” Ayako muttered.

          “Naru, that’s crazy. Why would you want to go up to there?” Mai wasn’t ready to give in just yet. Naru looked at her.

          “For the same reason I asked you to retell your story.” He deadpanned. 

          “You think there’s something up there that we missed?” She asked. Mai was trying to understand his reasoning, why it had to be him to go up onto the highly unstable third floor, but he wasn’t helping her. 

          “Yes.” It was not an explanation. Mai felt a vein in her head begin to throb. 

          “If you think it’s so important than why not wait?” She demanded, growing irritated. “Send John up there later! He's much lighter than you!”

          “Why put off tomorrow what I can get done today,” Naru returned. 

          “Ugh! You are so stubborn!” Mai cried. He responded by simply raising a brow. She didn't have to hear his voice to know he was calling her out in that silent way of his. Her stubbornness often rivaled his, after all. “Why not take Lin with you?" She tried another approach. "He wouldn’t have to go onto the floor with you. He could just use his shiki to catch you or something!”

          “My shiki do not work that way,” Lin spoke up. Mai glared at him. So not helping. 

          “He is needed here,” Naru said. He was beginning to get irritated. Was she really so daft not to see the sooner they got this case over with, the sooner she would be out danger?

          “Then, take me!” Mai exploded, slapping herself in the chest to add emphasis. 

          “That would be too much weight on the floor.” Yes, Naru realized how that sounded. There was a sharp gasp throughout the room that in any other situation would have amused him, but-at the moment-the audience only irritated him more. 

          “Excuse me?!” Mai’s eyebrow began to twitch. “I know you aren’t implying what I think you are!”

          “If the floor is as unstable as Monk and you claim, then two people on the floor at the same time would make it even more precarious of a trip.” He informed her as if she were slow. “I shouldn’t have to spell out this much to you.” He added for impact.

          “Fine!” Mai cried throwing her hands up in the air. “Go trapeze along the damn floor like the moron you seem to think I am! But when you fall through, I am not making you any tea for a month!”

           “Gladly,” Naru snapped back at her as he walked toward the door to the base. Mai watched him go, hoping that the weight of her angry gaze seared him.

           “Was that really the best thing you could come up with? _Denying him tea_?” Monk asked, brow raised. She turned her glare toward him.

           “I didn’t see any of you helping.”

           “To be fair to us, Mai,” John spoke up tentatively, “fighting with Naru is a losing battle.”

           “You are the only one persistent enough to try.” Masako added to John’s statement.

           “Don’t you all have a job to do?” Mai asked, unknowingly doing a really good impression of the man that had just stormed out yet again. Monk smothered his laugh. 

           “Yes,” he agreed; his voice was cracking with the effort it took to keep his laughter at bay. There was something just so cute about Mai's unconscious imitation of Naru. He was torn between not wishing to irritate the girl further and hugging her; he settled instead on leaving the room. “I believe we should get to it. Coming, Ayako?”

           “Right behind you, Monk.” Ayako sounded just as strained as he did. They both booked it toward the door. Mai’s eyes narrowed as she heard their laughter not seconds after the door closed. John turned to face her, a mild smile on his lips.

           “I believe we will be going now as well.” He said. Masako nodded. Mai couldn’t help but sigh. Her anger wilted. It was impossible to be mad at John.

           “Sure. We’ll be watching out if you run into any trouble.” She informed them. As they walked out, Mai turned back to the monitors and took a seat next to Lin. The minor throbbing in her head turned into a pounding as she watched Monk and Ayako struggle to collect themselves in the hallway. She looked away from them to the other monitors.  

            The serene looking kitchen now felt dangerous; just looking into it made her feel nauseated. Whenever her gaze focused on the can of rat poison, she felt that familiar chill run down her spine. Something was going to happen tonight.

            “Hey, Lin,” she said quietly. Lin looked over at her, one brow raised. “Focus on monitor A the most tonight. I don’t think Shinji’s business there is over just yet.” Instead of questioning her, Lin simply nodded. 

X

            The first hour in and Mai was already bored. How could Lin just sit here for hours and stare at these screens? Well, that was a little unfair. He didn’t just stare at the monitors. He also did work on his computer. But come on! Mai was having trouble keeping her eyes open…and after last night’s dream she really didn’t want to sleep. Her body, however, seemed to be ignoring her wants. The longer they went without talking or any activity at all, Mai could feel herself being pulled deeper and deeper into the land of sleep.

            _“Oh god, not another one,” Mai complained as she found herself in the astral plane yet again. She heard a small chuckle from beside and looked over. Gene was with her again, but this time he held no signs of unease._

_“No, not another dream. Information sharing,” Gene reassured her. “You need to know that Shinji was there during Cecilia’s projection. I don’t know how Masako didn’t feel him, but he was there—hiding.”_

_“He shouldn’t have this much power,” Mai complained. Gene sighed._

_“I can speculate why, but right now that isn’t important. I don’t have much time. Shinji is aware of you now. He took pleasure out of your fear during the vision and he’s latched onto you as a target.” Mai shuddered._

_“Goody,” she muttered._

_“You’re going to have to be extra careful. He—” Before the words even escaped his mouth, Gene vanished. A puff of unnatural air ruffled her hair. “Gene!” Mai cried out. She wanted to go looking for him, but she could feel the tug of her body pulling her back. Before the astral plane faded, she wore she saw Cecilia._

“Gene!” Mai gasped as she jerked awake. Her head swam with the sudden motion and she was half-tempted to lay her head back down onto the table. Instead, she settled for pressing the heel of her palm to her forehead. Whenever the disorientation faded, she looked over and found Lin looking at her.

            “Did something happen to Gene?” Lin asked. Mai sighed.

            “I don’t know. I think he was trying to tell me more about Shinji and then…he just got cut off or he vanished. He mentioned earlier that he didn’t have much time, but I didn’t expect that.”

            “The idiot is pushing himself,” Lin snorted.

            “I don’t think that was all,” Mai muttered. “I could have sworn after he vanished that I saw Cecilia…”

            “That’s impossible,” Lin said. “Gene is the stronger spirit. Cecilia couldn’t hurt him.” Mai let the topic drop. She could tell that Lin was adamant; and while she did have faith in Gene’s strength as a spirit, she also knew that sometimes he was weak. Yet, it didn’t make sense. He hadn’t been present with her in the dream last night; not for the whole time, it shouldn’t have used up so much his strength. “What did he say to you about Shinji?” Lin asked, once it was clear Mai was too deep in her thoughts to offer up the information on her own.

            “He’s after me now,” Mai admitted, begrudgingly emerging from her thoughts. “Somehow, he hid from Masako last night and fed off of my fear. Gene said the sicko got pleasure from it. That was all he was able to tell me.” Lin only hummed in response, but she could see on his face that he was disturbed with the news. Mai searched for something to distract herself and saw the front door opening again. “Looks like Ayako and Monk are back.”

X

            Ayako had never felt more annoyed by a person in her life. Mitsuki Tokine had been a dead end. She hadn’t been able to offer up any more information than what the news reports already said. Mrs. Mitsuki calmed that her house was too far away from the orphanage to hear anything; and none of the girls had ever been by to see her. The Shinji family had always been reclusive, private; she hadn’t known anything suspect was going on until finding that young girl on the road years ago. Despite her lack of knowledge, she’d monopolized their time for nearly an hour and spent nearly that entire time talking to Monk.

            “Jealousy doesn’t suit you, Ayako,” he teased as he opened the front door. Ayako growled.

            “It’s not jealousy! She was being unprofessional!” She defended her rather rude actions of hustling Monk out of the woman’s house.

            “Awe, Ayako,” Monk cooed, “If you liked me, you should have said something sooner.” He grinned goofily with his tease. 

            “As if!” Ayako sniffed angrily, tossing her red hair over her shoulder as she stomped up the stairs. Monk stuffed his hands in his pockets, still grinning.

            “How did it go?” Mai asked as soon as they entered the room. Ayako looked away, still frustrated and a little embarrassed by Monk’s teasing. Monk answered in her place.

            “She didn’t have any more information than the news reports had. The Shinji family was always reclusive and private, so she didn’t interact with any of them. She had no idea anything was going on in this place until she found the little girl on the road.”

            “Did she give you a name?”

            “No. She said she couldn’t remember it,” Ayako sniffed. She ignored the smug, amused look Monk gave her. She had asked snappishly as Tokine had pressed her hand to his chest and giggled about how he didn’t look like a monk-type. “But I’m almost certain she was lying to us.”

            “Well, you can’t blame her for protecting the victim,” Monk said. “We likely wouldn’t learn anything different from the girl. She’d already given her statement about that night a number of times.”

            “Yeah,” Ayako sighed. “Still, she could have just told us that.” _‘Instead of slobbering all over you like a hungry dog…’_ She complained silently, hating the amused look Monk gifted her. Mai felt her lips twitch as she watched them.

            “Well,” she interrupted before the two could start arguing/flirting again, “hopefully Naru will turn up more information for us. So far, our end has been dull…”  Just as Mai finished her sentence, monitor A lit up with activity. “I wasn’t complaining!” Mai whined as Lin immediately looked back toward the monitors. With a long suffering sigh, Mai followed his lead. John and Masako had just stepped into the kitchen. Lights flickered and objects began to shake. John pulled Masako behind him and began to recite his warding prayer, but it only seemed to make Shinji angrier.

            “GET OUT!” A demonic voice screamed through the monitor. Mai jumped up from her seat, intending to run down and help in any way she could. A tight grip on her wrist stopped her from getting much farther than a step away from the monitors. She looked down at Lin, mouth open to tell him to let go.

            “John cannot protect two sensitives at once.” Lin cut her off. Mai tried not to bristle, but she understood what he was saying. Mai did not have the same type of defensive ability that Ayako, Bou-san, and John did. Her ability there was still weak; her presence would only be a hindrance for the sweet priest.   

            “We’re on it, Jou-chan,” Monk reassured her, taking a moment to ruffle her hair before darting out after Ayako. She glanced into monitor A to see monitor in complete static. The camera in the hall picked up Ayako and Monk running at full speed toward the stairs. Mai yelped with Ayako as the priestess was jerked into the bedroom closest to the stairs. It was the room where Cecilia had been found, the room where she had officially died. Mai shot to her feet; Lin’s grip on her arm nearly sent her back into her chair. Mai didn’t bother shouting out; she watched in shock as the door slammed hard, trapping Ayako inside with Cecilia. Monitor B flickered, but the feed remained. Mai could see Cecilia’s hands wrapped around the priestess’ biceps, holding her in place no matter how hard she struggled to get free.

            _“Don’t.”_ They heard the ghostly voice of Cecilia before the monitor flicked off. Monitor C was still working fine. Monk was attempting to get in to Ayako. He was throwing all of his body weight against the door while turning the handle, but the door didn’t seem to be giving an inch. To make matters worse, John and Masako were still in danger. Mai sighed.

            “Lin,” she murmured. The man looked up at her and gave a small sigh of defeat. He released her arm.

            “I am sending one of my shiki with you,” he informed her as she moved toward the door. 

            “Thank you,” she shot over her shoulder as broke out in a run. Lin turned back to the monitors and lifted the talkie again. He shook his head as he pressed the button. 

            “Monk, Mai is coming to try and help Ayako. John still needs help in the kitchen.”

            “Yeah.” Lin watched with a raised brow as Monk stepped closer to the door. He couldn’t hear what Monk was telling her, but he could see the tender expression on his face. Lin pursed his lips and looked away from that monitor. The relationship status of the monk and priestess did not concern him. Somehow, throughout all of the activity, monitor A was still on and functional.  

            “Don’t worry, Ayako. Mai is on her way. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Monk told her through the closed door.

            “OH! That makes me feel so much better!” Ayako huffed. “Will you let go of me?!” She demanded as she tried to shake her hands, but the girl’s grip only tightened. “I am not trying to escape!” A lot of good telling her that did, Cecilia didn’t waver. She just kept making that strange shushing noise. Ayako groaned. “I am not one of the kids that you need to protect! I am a grown woman!”

             “Doesn’t matter,” Cecilia surprised her by saying. “He hurts grown women too.” Ayako froze.

             “Wakaba-san?” She breathed. Cecilia tilted her head in confusion. Ayako shook herself. “You would probably know her as Shinji Yuna.” Recognition lit her eyes. Her mouth twisted into a grim line. She nodded. Ayako opened her mouth to question her further, but she was interrupted.  

             “Ayako!”

             “Mai!” Ayako had never been happier to hear the teenager’s voice, but it seemed she was the only one. Cecilia stiffened. Ayako turned her head so that she could look at the spirit holding her away from the door.

             “Hey, now, don’t you go getting tense. It’s just Mai,” Ayako tried to soothe her. “You know, the girl you interacted with last night.” She felt silly. Reasoning with spirits was not her forte. She usually left the talking side of things to Mai and Masako. _‘Please don’t let me mess this up. I do not want to be the reason Cecilia turns violent…especially not while she is holding me.’_

            “Mai,” Cecilia breathed. Ayako tried not to shiver. _‘Please let that be recognition.’_

            “Yeah, that’s her outside.” Just to further prove her point, Ayako jerked her head toward the door. Cecilia’s eyes fixed on the door. Immediately, the impassive look on her face turned to one of panic. 

            “She needs to leave,” the ghost said urgently.

            “Um…Mai, can you hear us?” Ayako called through the door, fighting down her panic. The room was getting colder. The light out in the hall dimmed underneath the door. Ayako could vaguely see the souls of Mai’s shoes.

            “Yes. Why do I need to leave, Cecilia? Shinji is in the kitchen.” Ayako realized it as soon as Mai did. Shinji had always started in the kitchen…then he would make the trip up the stairs to the bedrooms. If he found Mai in the hallway, there was a chance he would attack Mai just as he had Cecilia.

            “Shit.” Ayako cursed.

            “RUN,” Cecilia raised her voice. “GET OUT! YOU CAN’T BE HERE.” The lights started to flicker. Ayako felt the hands around her biceps tighten and grow colder. She swallowed. This was definitely not good.

            Mai could feel the cold through the cracks in the door and knew that the situation inside had gotten worse. She grabbed the handle of the door and tried to open it. She succeeded just a crack before the door was slammed on her again. The force of its impact sent her crashing back into the wall behind her. It was no longer quiet in the hallway. She could hear the furniture inside the room banging restlessly against the walls and the floor. “Ayako!” She cried again, scrambling to her feet. She reached for the doorknob and jerked her hand back. The knob was stinging cold.  

            “Mai! Mai, get back to base!” Ayako cried as she finally fought free of Cecilia’s grip. The spirit reached for her again. Ayako jumped back and began to chant. She could only expel the spirit from the room. She wouldn’t be able to exorcise her.

             It seemed Cecilia figured out what she was doing. One of the dresser drawers came out of the dresser. Ayako barely had time to duck as the drawer swirled past her head and slammed into the wall behind her. Shards of wood rained down around her, but Ayako forced herself to keep going.

             Mai glared at the door handle; she reached for it again, to hell with it. A hand closed over her wrist. “I believe I told you not to be by yourself.”

             “Naru!” Mai cried. “Ayako, she’s in the room with Cecilia-”

             “So, you thought instead of doing as she told you and going back to base, it would be a good idea to remain in the hallway?” Disapproval practically dripped from his tone. Mai’s eyes narrowed. Before she could argue, Naru was pulling her along behind him.

             “Naru, let go! What about Ayako?”

             “Cecilia is keeping everyone out of the room. What help would we be if we can’t even get in?” Naru attempted to appeal to Mai’s sense of logic, but she was still struggling against him. He sighed. “Do you have such little faith in her abilities?” That stopped her struggling like he had hoped it would. She followed him more willingly now.

             “Well, no.” She whispered. “I know Ayako is capable. But she shouldn’t have to face Cecilia alone!”

             “That aside, we cannot get in.” Naru stressed again as he opened the door to the base. “Nothing short of breaking the door down, which I doubt we would be capable of, could get us inside to help her.” Mai huffed as Naru practically pushed her toward the couch.

             “Trust in her abilities, Taniyama-san,” Lin said from the monitors. 

X

             Hardly a minute had passed before Ayako was back in base. Mai shot to her feet. “I’m surprised you listened to me,” the priestess said, raising red brows. Then she found Naru. The young man was sitting on the couch across from Mai. Ayako tried not to let her smile show. Now that she thought about it, it had looked as though Naru was ready to sit on her to keep her in the base. “Oh. I see. Naru forced you back to base, didn’t he?” Mai ignored the question which was answering it in itself. She lost the battle with her grin.

            “What happened? Are you okay?” She fired off questions quickly. 

            “I’m fine,” Ayako reassured her as she eased down onto the couch. She had caught a piece of furniture with her back, but that was not something she needed Mai to worry about. “Cecilia calmed down after you left.”

            “Were you able to get anything out of her before she discovered Mai at the door?” Lin asked. Ayako nodded. 

            “She said that Shinji used to hurt Wakaba-san as well. It wasn’t just the young girls he preyed on. I was going to try to get more out of her, but we were interrupted when Mai showed up.” Mai flinched. Ayako smiled reassuringly. “After that, I was mainly trying to get her to calm down.”

            “Why would she have had such a visceral reaction to Mai?” Ayako asked. “Masako is about the same age as Mai and he didn’t even bother with her all that much.”

            “Because Shinji’s latched onto me,” Mai whispered. “Gene said that Shinji was in the room last night whenever Cecilia showed me the vision, but for some reason Masako couldn’t sense him.”

            “And you waited until now to share that?” Naru questioned, his voice cold.

            “Gene didn’t tell me until right before all of the activity in the kitchen started!” Mai protested heatedly. “Besides, Lin sent one of his shiki with me in case Shinji or Cecilia attacked!” Naru cut a look toward Lin that promised they would be talking later. Mai shut her mouth _. ‘Oops…’_  

            “Regardless, you are staying in the base for the rest of our time here,” he ordered. Mai didn’t bother fighting him and looked away from his eyes. Her gaze fell instead to an out of place splash of color in his hand.

            “Is that…a journal?” Mai asked, dubiously. In all of the commotion, she hadn’t even realized that Naru had anything in his other hand; but sure enough, he was holding onto a blue journal; from over his thumb, she could vaguely make out the spiral of a flower. “EHH! You plan on reading her journal?!” Naru gave her a bland look. Mai quietened and crossed her arms. “For the case or not, that’s just sleazy.”

            “It’s in really good condition for it to have been exposed to rain water and the elements for five years,” Ayako commented, taking the book from Naru’s hand. “A little yellowing is the only sign of age.”

            “It was tucked underneath her mattress,” Naru said. Mai stared at him. _‘He went…he went looking for it?! Wait, why do I sound so shocked that he found it? Everyone and their mother knows to look underneath the mattress. Oh, come on, Cecilia. You couldn’t have thought of a better hiding place?! There had to of been a least one loose floorboard up there or a high place like the top of the wardrobe! Naru found it so easily! Which is good for us I guess, but come on, you’re making us girls look bad here. Wait…he **did** find it rather quickly. Does that mean he hides things under his mattress?’ _ She eyed Naru for a moment, then dismissed it. _‘Nah. He’s more of a burn-the-evidence kind of guy._ ’ Mai felt the beginnings of a grin on her lips. _‘I can’t even imagine him keeping a journal. What would an entry of his even be: “Today, I experienced those unseemly things most individuals call **feelings**. It was a disgusting experience that I do not hope to encounter again.”’_   

            “Oh? So you didn’t just stumble upon this then?” Ayako teased. “Tell me, Naru, how did you know she would have hidden her diary there?” Naru didn’t rise to the bait. Instead, he reached out and took the journal back.

            “Taking a diary is very teenage behavior of you, Naru,” Monk commented as he reentered the base. John and Masako followed along behind him. “I see you got out of the room fine,” he addressed Ayako.

            “Of course. I’m not incompetent, you know,” Ayako sniffed. Monk ignored her.

            “That’s good because I think you’re going to need to give John over here stitches.”

            “Please, mate. I’ll need a Band-Aid at best,” John argued. It was only now that Mai noticed he was holding a napkin to his forehead.

            “Are you alright?!” Mai demanded as she got up close to him. She pulled at his wrist gently, indicated she wanted him to lower it. He did, revealing a bleeding gash on his forehead.

            “He got hit by a vase,” Masako said quietly from beside John. Her own gaze was fixed on the gash as well. John gently shook Mai’s hand off so that he could recover it. He didn’t like to see such worry in the girls’ eyes.

            “I’ll be alright,” he reassured them.

            “I’ll be the judge of that,” Ayako bossed as she grabbed him by the arm and hauled him to the couch. John held his bangs back as the bossy woman examined his forehead. “Hmm…I don’t think you’ll need actual stitches—which is good,” she glared over her shoulder at Monk, “since I don’t have those tools on me…” She opened the first aid kit and turned her attention back to John. “If it had been any deeper, we would have had to send you to the hospital, but as it stand these should work.” She peeled back to the paper off of a set of butterfly stitches. She dabbed at the injury on John’s head to make certain that the bleeding hand stopped. Once she was satisfied, she pinched the skin together. John flinched, but didn’t complain as Ayako put the three of the strips onto the gash.

            “Thank you, Ayako,” John said as Ayako finished and put her things away. His blue eyes turned to Naru. Sensing the change in the base, Lin opened his laptop and prepared to take down John’s, Masako’s, and Ayako’s statements about what happened on in their respective attacks. By now, everyone in the room knew the rhythm of things.

            “John, Miss. Hara, you start with your account. Then Ayako, retell yours,” Naru directed.

             “We started with this floor,” Masako started the story. “Aside from the second room in the girls’ wing where we were originally staying and the room where Cecilia had died, I sensed lingering influence in the bathroom at the end of the hall. I believe, like Shinji, Cecilia is repeating certain behaviors that she did often in life. Despite this, it doesn’t seem like Shinji and Cecilia have encountered one another anywhere in the house.”

            “I didn’t sense any energy again until we reached the first floor, just outside the kitchen. I was overwhelmed with Shinji’s emotions the second we stepped inside,” Masako lifted her sleeve over her mouth. “He is so wrathful, angry. I don’t believe exorcising him will be easy.”

            “It certainly wasn’t easy getting him to leave,” Monk muttered. John nodded.

            “Whenever we stepped into the kitchen, Masako brought to my attention his presence. The lights began to flicker not seconds after she indicated he was with us. He appeared and started screaming almost immediately, demanding we get out. I pulled Miss. Hara behind me and started attempting to exorcise him.”

            “It’s there that the monitor cuts out,” Mai interrupted. John nodded.

            “I figured as much. I’m afraid your camera is toast, Naru,” he said. Like the rich bastard he was, Naru shrugged it off. Mai twitched. _‘Just how loaded is the Davis family?!’_ Mai thought. “Whenever all of the furniture started to move, the camera got tossed into the wall and shattered into pieces. He kept screaming “get out, you’re ruining everything, leave” and the like.”

            “But most concerning was the question he kept screaming, _“Where is she”_ ,” Masako took over. Suddenly, Ayako, Naru, and Lin looked toward Mai. She shifted uncomfortably.

            “That’s what Cecilia meant by you couldn’t be here,” Ayako muttered, looking over at Mai. “I thought she was just referencing your age, but she knew that Shinji had been in the room with you. She knew that he was targeting you.” 

            “What?!” Monk shouted. 

            “When did we learn that?” John asked, confusion painted in his voice.

            “Yeah,” Mai continued on, ignoring Monk and John’s reactions. “Why didn’t he come after me whenever I left the base during all of the commotion though? I was alone then.” She ignored the glare Naru directed at her.

            “His attention is easily refocused,” Naru said. “You said as much yourself whenever you described your dream. Cecilia could easily redirect his anger, his attention onto her to keep him from going after the other children.” Mai sighed.

            “You’re going to bench me for the rest of the case, aren’t you?” Mai asked him. She knew there was a bit of a whine in her voice, but she didn’t care. She stared at Naru.

            Naru had heard Mai’s question; and he was seriously considering it. On a regular case, the girl somehow found danger; but, on a case where the spirit was targeting her, her chances of getting hurt or kidnapped tripled. He already had people with her at all hours of this investigation, shortening the manpower. Locking her up in the base certainly did have its appeal; yet, if push came to shove, they may need to use her as bait. Somehow, he had the feeling she wouldn’t like that answer any less than if he told her he was planning to tie her to chair in the base. Instead of answering her, he simply motioned for John to continue. Mai responded to his silence with an angry huff. 

            “It was after his statement about Mai that I caught the vase with my forehead,” John said. “Takigawa arrived in the nick of time because I am ashamed to say the pain made me waver.”

            “It’s alright, man. We can’t all be superman,” Bou-san reassured him, clapping him on the shoulder. “I’m sure Masako can forgive her white knight for wavering, eh, Masako?” The glare Masako leveled him stopped his teasing in its tracks. He cleared his throat. “Anyway, when I got there, John was looking pretty rough. I immediately started my chant and tried to help him drive Shinji back. Together, we managed, but I don’t think we succeeded in exorcising him.”

            “It was more as if he just…gave up.” John clarified. 

            “You tired him out,” Mai muttered, thinking of Cecilia’s taunts. “He’s going to have to recharge before he tries to come after anyone again.”

            “Ayako,” Naru simply stated. The redhead nodded and began to retell her story.

            “We had just come back from interrogating Mitsuki Tokine—that was a complete waste of time—and entered the base whenever the monitor A picked up a lot of activity. We left to help, but I was pulled into the bedroom in front of the stairs. The door slammed shut.”

            “Nothing I did could get it to budge,” Bou-san interrupted. “Which makes since if Cecilia barricades the door.”

            “But she didn’t scoot anything in front of it.” Ayako pointed out. 

            “She wouldn’t have had to,” Naru said. “Spirits operate differently from humans. If she wanted the door to be blocked, it would be.”

            “Right,” Ayako muttered. “Anyway, she had a hold of my shoulders and backed us into a corner. I tried to reason with her, telling her that I wasn’t a child, I didn’t need her protection. She informed me that being a child didn’t matter. Whenever I tried to get more out of her, she implied that Shinji hurt Wakaba-san as well as the girls. I was trying to get more out of her when Mai showed up. The moment Cecilia realized Mai was outside, she clammed up and started insisting Mai leave. The longer she stood outside, the more agitated Cecilia became. She started screaming for Mai to run.”

            “Like she did Kimi,” Mai muttered.

            “Right. She started screaming for Mai to run, screaming that Mai shouldn’t be here. I finally managed to get free of Cecilia’s grip and started to expel her, but she faded on her own. I assumed she had calmed because Mai had left the hallway. Or rather, Naru drug Mai from the hallway.” She slid an amused look Naru’s way. He ignored her.

            “The facts are as follows: Mai is Shinji’s primary target. Cecilia is concerned for her well-being on this case. Further review of Cecilia’s journal should shed more light on the situation.” Naru summed up. Mai returned her eyes to the journal in Naru’s hands.

            “I’m still surprised you didn’t fall through the floor,” Mai muttered, staring at the faded orange cover. 

            “I know how horrible for you. You still have to make the narcissist tea,” Monk teased her, ruffling her hair.

            “It’s not like I wanted him to fall!” Mai argued, swatting his hand away.

            “Mai,” Naru started. Mai looked at him. She already knew what was coming. He was going to say it. She just knew it. “Tea.”

            “Ugh.”


	4. File 17: The Haunting at Shinji Orphanage, pt. 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru confronts the Wakabas about their omissions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Ghost Hunt belongs to Fuyumi Ono and Shiho Inada.
> 
> Sorry about the lack of posting, I was traveling all week last week. So, I'll try to post twice this week to make up for it.

**Day 2**

**4 p.m.**

            It didn’t take long for four to roll around after all of the excitement. Heisuke stopped by the base to see them while his mother promptly busiest herself with other things. Most telling for Naru was that her first stop was the kitchen. The team had gone back down and cleaned what they could of the shattered furniture and knickknacks so the woman had no reason to pause, but she did. Naru narrowed his eyes as she looked at the counter, conveniently right where the rat poison had been setting earlier in the day.

            _‘Yes, Mrs. Wakaba clearly knows more than what she is telling us.’_ Naru observed as he turned his eyes away from the monitor. Mai was speaking with Heisuke, telling him about the things they had encountered in the house. With every word he seemed to become more and more distraught. Naru knew what she was doing. She was making certain he understood the danger so that when Naru asked about his mother’s involvement in the case, it would be more impactful.

            “I’m so sorry you were injured here,” Heisuke apologized to John, bowing. John held up his hands.

            “It’s no issue, mate. Injuries are practically in the job description,” John tried to placate him. Naru saw his opening.

            “It however is not in your mother’s.” He jabbed hard at the young man’s weak spot, taking him by surprise.

            “Naru!” Mai snapped. He tried not to raise his eyebrows. He knew he hadn’t read the room wrong, so what was she snapping at him for. She knew he was going to interrogate him. Mai leaned a little closer to the young man, touching his shoulder gently. “What my boss means to say is we believe your mother could be in some danger here as well. There have been details come to light while we’ve been investigating that lead us to believe you nor your mother have been completely honest with us.”

            Mai kept her eyes on his brown, studying the emotions that flickered through them. Guilt, remorse. Yes, Naru had been right. The Wakaba family was keeping something from them. Heisuke broke her gaze and sighed. He looked down at his hands.

            “You are right. I didn’t want to say anything earlier…but my mother’s desire to reopen the orphanage wasn’t kick started by some random event. Most of the time, she acted like the building wasn’t even there. She allowed the mowers to mow around it, but she never really wanted anyone to keep it up. About five months ago, I made the mistake of telling my friends about the abandoned property we owned. They wanted to have a party and I went along with it because I didn’t think it would hurt anything. After all, the place is such a shit hole already nothing my friends could do could possibly make it worse. She heard all of the commotion we were causing and walked down to see what was going on. We were in the kitchen, drinking alcohol when she found us. She was so pissed. She ran all of my friends off and then yelled herself hoarse at me before we went back to the house. Shortly after that, my mom started to show interest in reopening the orphanage. She was almost single-minded in the desire for a while.”

            “As if she were possessed,” Naru commented. Heisuke nodded, then his eyes bugged.

            “You don’t think my father possessed my mother, do you?”

            “Judging by what you just told us, he probably did. We had thought something was wrong whenever we saw the state of the house. It would cost more money than what it would be worth to repair and remodel this house. She would have been better off bulldozing it down and starting fresh,” Monk interrupted. Heisuke sighed.

            “I know. When I told her that, she got really mad and insisted that it would be fine. I didn’t believe her, but I wasn’t going to argue. But her behavior got even stranger whenever we were in the orphanage. All she would do is clean up the place; she never tried to call any of the repair companies. I finally got tired of cleaning up the water that dripped down from the third floor and patched the ceiling there; and made the phone calls to the construction companies myself. Things were going pretty smoothly for the first few weeks, and then that guy saw the girl and mom got pulled into that room.”

            “Is there anything about that encounter that you left out?” Naru asked.

            “Yes,” Heisuke said with a sigh. “There was screaming coming from the room. Loud and angry. I thought at first it was my mother, but when I finally managed to get inside no one was there and my mom was passed out on the floor.”

            “You don’t think it’s possible that Cecilia forced Shinji out, do you?” Mai asked.

            “Before today I would have said no,” Naru said. “But it’s clear from what happened with Matsuzaki that she is a threat in her own right. We shouldn’t underestimate her.” There was nothing more they could get from Heisuke; and given Mrs. Wakaba’s cagey nature regarding the case, Naru highly doubted they would get anything from her. It was time for them to leave. Naru turned to Heisuke now. “Do not come back until we contact you. This place is dangerous for both your mother and yourself.” He ordered them. Heisuke didn’t bother arguing.

            “I think you may have trouble convincing my mother of that,” Heisuke warned him as he stood to leave.

            “Um…I don’t think it’ll take much convincing…” Mai muttered, pointing toward the monitors. The temperature in the kitchen was dropping rapidly all over again. Mrs. Wakaba stood in the middle of the kitchen, cleaning off the counter. A shape had started to form behind her. 

            “What?” Naru breathed. “It’s too soon for Shinji to be forming again.” But he couldn’t argue with what his eyes were telling him. Shinji was forming. The how could be figured out later.

            “Mom!” Heisuke shot to his feet and was charging from the room before anyone could stop him.

            “Damn it,” Monk cursed as he watched the kid from the door. He started forward in tandem with Naru.

            “Takigawa, Lin, John, after me,” he called over his shoulder. “Ladies, stay in the base!” He demanded. The men didn’t talk after that; they just moved quickly as a unit out the door. Mai, Ayako, and Masako shared a glance.  

             Mai slumped back onto chair at the desk. “I swear I’ll be happy once this case is over,” she complained quietly as she spun around to face the monitors. She eyed Monitor A with a worry. Mrs. Wakaba seemed to be trying to run from her late husband; she flinched as the malicious spirit grabbed Yuna by the hair and jerked her around. His laughter poured through the feed drowning out Yuna’s pained scream. Mai’s stomach turned. “I hate being sidelined like this.”

            “Agreed,” Ayako mumbled, crossing her arms. 

            “Not that you are much use,” Masako drawled, covering her mouth with her sleeve. She cast a smug look in Ayako’s direction.

            “Oh, don’t you start!” Ayako snapped. “You are competing with Mai for biggest victim here. Falling from the second story of an abandoned school building, being pushed down the stairs, getting kidnapped by a demon….need I go on?” Masako glared.

            Whatever else happened in the argument, Mai didn’t know. Her eyes felt so heavy that just keeping them open caused them to burn. _‘For a third time, really, Gene? Now?’_ She thought, disoriented. The last sound she heard was Masako’s surprised shout as Mai slumped forward onto the desk.

            She opened her eyes to find the floating spirits around her again, but the usual black was gone. Instead, she could see the bedroom the girls had previously moved out of. The room where Cecilia had died. Mai frowned. She looked to the left of her and felt her heart skip a small beat. Gene knelt just beside her. Well and visible. She shot up before he could caution her to move slowly. “You’re okay!” She exclaimed. “What on earth happened?!”

             “I’m sorry for what happened here last time,” Gene said softly, motioning with his arm around the room. It was enough for Mai to infer that he meant the death dream she had of Cecilia and not because of his vanishing act. “By the time I realized what she intended to do, it was too late for me to stop it.”

             “There was nothing you could have done,” she brushed off his apology and the discomfort she felt at the memory. She would definitely need therapy whenever this case was over but until then. 

            “Still, I must admit to feeling quite useless.” He sighed. She could tell by the set of his mouth—much like she could with his twin—that it made him very unhappy to feel that way. Mai felt her lips twitch into a smile.

            “I’m glad you’re okay…” She whispered. Gene smiled gently, warmly at her.

            “Our last adventure was why I called you back so soon. I know how Shinji and Cecilia both are gaining their strength back so quickly.” Mai followed his gaze and felt her breath leave her. Cecilia stood among the spirits, simply observing each orb as it passed her. Gene wrapped his hand around her wrist gently to keep her from moving forward. He pulled her toward him, until her back was slightly flush to his chest. The intimate feel of the moment caused heat to rise to her cheeks and brought back the memory of her failed confession to Naru that she had tried so hard to push away. ‘ _Me or Gene?_ ’ still whispered through her head at the strangest of times. She pushed the thought away. Now was definitely not the time.   

           “She has been here since Shinji began gaining strength,” Gene explained, not taking his eyes off of the spirit. She hadn’t seemed to notice them yet. 

           “What do you mean?” Mai asked, keeping her voice low.  

           “You have encountered this phenomenon before in the Ryokuryou High case; but instead of devouring her immediately, Shinji has been stealing her energy in spurts, whittling away at her strength. She hovers here to gather it back.” As he spoke, Cecilia reached for one of the spirits that floated too close. It glowed for a moment before disappearing inside of her. Mai gave a quiet cry of surprise and despair. When Cecilia had touched it, it had revealed a small child—no older than five.

           “Gene!” She reached for his arm. He grimaced.

           “Yes. In her desperation to stop Shinji, she has started to devour other spirits like her.” Gene looked out at the spirits surrounding them. “They wander to the orphanage hoping they will find the way home. An orphanage is meant to be a safe haven…yet, they find themselves trapped here by the greed of one spirit and the desperation of another.” Mai felt her eyes begin to sting with tears as she thought of their fear, their pain. It reminded her too much of the children from the landslide. The case still haunted her, still caused her pain. She sniffled as the tears threatened to overrun. She jumped when a hand laid across her own. She looked up and found Gene’s reassuring yet serious gaze. “It’s why I disappeared on you earlier. She tugged at my spirit, siphoning off my energy in a desperate attempt to save herself. Sadly,” Gene sighed, “it’s a futile effort. Shinji is draining her energy constantly. Even these few souls she’s devoured are disappearing into him. All she is managing to do is taint her soul.”

           “She’s just trying to help…” Mai whispered. Gene nodded.

           “Yes, but she’s hurting the souls here in the plane. I have tried talking to her, but nothing I say seems to reach her.”

           “So, you reached for me,” Mai finished. Gene simply nodded in agreement with her observation.

           “You have a decent track record of getting spirits to listen to you. You convinced Kirishima Yuuki to move on.” He reminded her. The look of pride in his eyes caused a rush of affection to move through her. She smiled and nodded. “I can’t stand too closely to her or else she may try to take my energy again.” He said; a grimace drew his smile into a frown. Mai could see that it hadn’t been comfortable for him.

           Dread coiled in her stomach at the thought of him being absorbed like those smaller spirits had been. Those few months without him had been awful. She hadn’t known just how involved a spirit guide was until she lost hers. He kept the visions filtered, kept the spirits from hurting her. Oh, they didn’t harm her physically, but she was also exhausted. Surprisingly, a dream catcher had helped. It had been jokingly suggested by one of her friends at school; but it had helped. Problem was she had to keep replacing them. They burned after two nights. She had told no one of her issues and didn’t plan on it. Not even Gene. He would feel guilty and she didn’t want that. If he felt the dream catcher she hung above her bed at her apartment, he never mentioned it.

           “Should I worry about that?” She asked, meaning his being absorbed. He shook his head.

           “No, you are astral projecting here,” he explained, clearly taking it a different way. “As you are alive, you have a physical link to your body that spirits no longer have. As long as you are close to your body, you can return to it; but do not let that lure you into a flash sense of security. The astral plane still poses its dangers to you. You can be transported somewhere else by a spirit; if I am not there to guide you, it would be nearly impossible for you to return to your own body.” Mai swallowed.

           “So, don’t get touched?” She asked. Gene nodded. 

           “Do not allow another spirit besides me to touch you if you can help it,” he imparted. There was a finality to his words. “We do not have long.” He said, bringing attention back to the case and Cecilia. “The longer she is here, the more strength she will gain from the souls of the lost…and the more corrupt her own spirit will become.” He warned her.

           “Right, I guess that means you want me to start now…” She muttered, stepping away from his side. The farther she got away from Gene’s side, the colder the astral plane seemed to become and the more of Cecilia she could see. Her stomach turned as she took in the sickening way Cecilia’s skull was caved; the damage had been so extensive that it had taken her left eye as well. Mai’s heart ached at everything this young woman had gone through.    

           “Mai,” Cecilia greeted suddenly as she caught yet another spirit. This one was revealed to be an animal, a tiny dog. Mai tried to ignore them.  

           “Hello, I’m afraid we haven’t officially met. I’m Mai. You’re Cecilia.” Mai introduced herself awkwardly. She had, as Gene had pointed out, done this once before with Kirishima Yuuki; but she hadn’t known what she was doing. She didn’t really know now. Cecilia nodded.

           “I remember you.” Cecilia said. Her attention, for the moment, was away from the other spirits she had been devouring. “You didn’t heed my warning to leave then. I thought you had whenever you disappeared, but here you are…” Mai frowned. This wasn’t going to go the way she wanted; she could already feel it. 

           “Cecilia,” Mai started. Cecilia shook her head. Her remaining eye narrowed in a furious glare, but Mai could see the fear underneath her rage.   

           “He can still hurt you!” She cried out. “He leeches my strength away each time just so he can amuse himself. I can’t do anything!” Her frustration momentarily caused the plane to darken. Mai felt her heart pick up at that. That shouldn’t have been possible. Only Gene could manipulate the plane like this. Cecilia _was_ growing stronger; that frightened her. Not for herself, but for Cecilia and Gene.  

           “Why does it always have to be you?” Mai interrupted softly. “We’re here now. Let us stop him. Pass the torch to my friends and me.” She plead. “If you continue on like this, you’ll only harm yourself further!” 

           “What can you do?!” Cecilia demanded angrily. The spirits surrounding her bounced almost like angry bees. “No one helped us whenever we were here. Shinji Yuna, for all her talk to adoring children whenever we first came, turned her backs on us because she didn’t want to see!” The room around them turned colder in face of her rage. Mai swallowed down her panic to the best of her ability. 

           “I’m sorry that no one helped you. I’m sorry that no one listened, but we are listening now!” Mai yelled. “I know it’s too late, but we can stop him from hurting others! We can stop him from hurting you!”

           “How?!” Cecilia screamed; her human voice merged with something deeper, something more frightening. “Everything I have tried has only made him stronger! What can you do that I can’t?!”  

           “We can hurt him!” Mai argued. She stepped closer to Cecilia, entreating her to listen. She wanted to take her hands, to really enforce her words, but Gene’s warning was strong in her mind.  “You’ve seen my friends in action. You’ve felt what they can do.” She thought of her friends and their capabilities; she thought of all the times they had never let her down; and let those feelings fill her. “They are so very capable. Every single one of them has saved me again and again.” She let all of the time the others had saved her fill the room around her.

            Lin using his shiki to drive away spirits greater than Shinji; Ayako purifying the spirits of those that were doomed to forever circle the cave without rest; Monk driving back the many angry and tainted spirits that had tried to tear down the door that separated Naru from the rest of them; John dodging and beating back violent spirits with nothing but his hands; Masako with her ability to cleanse and exorcise; and then she thought of Naru, his explosive PK wiping out a god. She let her faith in her friends fill the air with warmth.

           “You’ve fought him alone for so long. He’s drained you to the point where you are having to steal the souls of the lost.” Cecilia’s eyes strayed to the souls around her. “You have been fighting against him so long that your desperation is turning you into something you never wanted to be.” At her words, the souls around her formed into shapes. Mai’s heart shattered at the many souls of children—young boys and girls of all ages—that surrounded her. “These are the beings you are absorbing, Cecilia.” She said.

           Cecilia flinched. A quiet sound escaped the back of her throat. Mai watched for a moment as the teen stared helplessly into the faces of the young children that she was sacrificing to further her own longevity. “They lend you their energy because, up until now, you were the only one who could keep more souls from joining them….but you aren’t alone anymore.” Mai stressed, hoping she was getting through to her. “We’re here.” Mai took a step closer to Cecilia, but did not reach out for her. “Let us take up the torch. Let us take over what you started to banish that bastard to hell where he belongs.”

          Cecilia turned back to Mai; desperation filled the spirit. The warmth emitting from Mai, the overwhelming faith founded in fact that she had in her friends, made it impossible for her to argue. Mai was right. She was so very tired…and she had become something she had never thought she would be. By absorbing these children, she was no better than Shinji—who stole her own energy to further his strength.

          “Thank you,” she breathed. Mai watched in awe as Cecilia’s grey body began to glow with golden light. The injury that had marred her features vanished as she let go of her death and the monster that had kept her bound for five years. Staring back at her was Cecilia as she had been in life. She gave Mai a blinding smile and extended her hand out to the girls at Mai’s side. “Come on. Let’s get you all home.” The girls at Mai’s side walked toward her and took the extended hand. Mai watched as they all faded as one.

          “Good job,” she heard from behind her. She spun around the see Gene. He was standing farther back than he had been before and he wore that smile that she wished she would see on Naru’s face. “You are getting better at understanding spirits.”

         “You think so?” Mai asked as she began to walk toward him. She truly wasn’t fishing for compliments. Gene nodded.

          “I know so. I wouldn’t have called you here if I thought you were going to fail.” He told her.

          “Cleansing spirits is scary,” Mai admitted. “Because each spirit is different…they have different wants and reasons for staying. None of them can be cleansed the same way. No words used over again.” Gene smiled.

          “You’ve grown,” he complimented. Mai flushed. “But that’s enough talk for now. It’s time for you to go back to your own body. I’ve kept you away long enough.” He teased. Mai’s eyebrows raised.

          “You’ve kept me? What do you-” She trailed off as Gene raised a hand and poked it to her forehead. Darkness closed around her vision; and the feeling like she was being pulled back through a vacuum surrounded her.

         “Why does he always do that?” Mai whispered under her breathe as she opened her eyes. She blushed as she found Ayako and Masako staring at her. Ayako raised a perfectly sculpted brow.

         “Why does who always do what?” She asked.

         “Oh, no one.” Mai laughed, waving a hand to brush off Ayako’s question. Of course, everyone knew now that Gene was her spirit guide; so, there was no real reason to keep it a secret, but she couldn't stand the teasing they gave her about him. It was easier for her just to brush questions about Gene away; the only two she didn't do it to was Naru and Lin. “What’s been going on since I’ve been asleep?”

         “You haven’t been out for long,” Ayako reassured her. “Naru and Monk have just reached the kitchen.” Mai looked onto the monitor and felt ice trickle through her veins at the sight. Shinji was forcing Mrs. Wakaba’s face into the sink full of water.

          A piercing whistle broke through the feed and shiki forced Shinji away from the spluttering woman. John and Heisuke immediately went to her side; the younger man pushed her behind him while John stood in front of them both, readying his holy water to ward Shinji away.   

X

             Their first real glimpse at Shinji the spirit was telling. All of the white in his eyes had been taken over by demonic black; the only interruption was his blood red irises. He had become more demon than man. Exorcising him would require them all, working together in the same room.

            Naru frowned. He had hoped that his idea of using Mai as bait would be unneeded. As he watched Monk and John push Shinji back into a corner, far away from Mrs. Wakaba, he formed a strategy.

            The kitchen would be the ideal place to spring the trap. Mai could come in around four tomorrow to make tea. Monk, John, and Ayako would be lying in wait, hiding in another room. Whenever Shinji appeared, they would come out of hiding and begin their exorcisms. Ayako would trap him in place and then they would combine their various skills to exorcise Shinji.

            He furrowed his brows as he studied the way Shinji moved. He was more active than the spirits they had encountered in the past. He physically struck out at those around him. Whenever they had arrived in the kitchen, Shinji had been forcing Mrs. Wakaba’s face down into the sink full of water. Heisuke had interrupted and barely managed to catch his mother as Shinji threw her back into him. Even now, he swung out at John and Monk, attempting to grab them. John’s constant use of holy water kept him at arm’s length.

            Shinji’s preference for violence told him that Ayako’s binding ability would be essential and would have to happen first. The way he kept swiping toward Monk first told Naru that the monk was able to hurt him the worst. He was responsible for most of the drain on Shinji. After Ayako had Shinji bound, Monk would need to immediately begin his chant with John as backup. Then, Ayako could join in. Lin’s shiki would be close, right outside of the room, to prevent Shinji from escaping.

            Satisfied with his plan, he turned his full attention to the room. He tensed immediately. Shinji was no longer fighting; he seemed to be studying the swing of John’s arm.

            “Look out!” Naru cried, but it was too late. Shinji struck out, seizing John’s arm as he completed a swing with the holy water. John cried out as he was lifted off of his feet and swung into Monk. The impact caused the monk to stagger. He caught the priest underneath the arms to keep him from tumbling to the floor. “Lin!” Naru called, but the high-pitched summon was too late. Shinji had already retreated back into hiding to gather his strength. “Damn…” He cursed underneath his breath.

            “I’m sorry, mate,” John apologized as he straightened out of Monk’s hold. Naru shook his head.

            “No. We wouldn’t have been able to exorcise him tonight no matter how much we threw at him.” Naru informed him. “He is too powerful for an attempt at exorcising him while he’s unbound.” He acknowledged.

            “I will agree with you there,” Monk said, rolling his sore shoulder. He had twisted it wrong whenever he caught John. “It took a lot of my energy to just weaken him. This isn’t something we are going to be able to do alone.”

            “Matsuzaki is necessary for a successful exorcism.”

            “He knows we will be waiting for him now,” Monk argued. “How are we going to get him to appear again?” Naru frowned.

            “We will make him think he is getting the one thing he wants most,” Naru revealed his plan cryptically. 

            “And what would that be?” Monk asked as Naru turn on his heel and walked away.

            “Lin, escort Heisuke and Mrs. Wakaba home.” He turned his gaze to the shaken family on the floor. “Do not come back here tomorrow. We will come to you whenever we are finished. You will only place yourselves and my team in danger if you disobey me.” He said these things to Heisuke. The teen seemed to understand what he was saying. He nodded. He would tie his mother up if he had too. He would not let his mother’s stubbornness or any possible lingering suggestion placed on her psyche by his father take her from him.

            “Come on, mom,” Heisuke said, helping his mother to her feet. “I’ll run you a hot bath whenever we get home.”

            “Hey, Naru!” Monk called as he jogged after the retreating teen. “What did you mean by that? We’ll give him what he wants most…you don’t mean Mai, do you?” Naru didn’t answer. He simply continued up the stairs.

            Monk’s eyes narrowed. That little punk had better not be thinking of using Mai as bait. She deserved more than that. She wasn’t a pawn on a chessboard; she was his colleague. Whether Naru admitted to it or not, he did care for her; everyone on their team could see the way he protected her, the way he favored her. Still, this was not enough to convince Monk that Naru wouldn’t wrap her up in a nice big bow and tease Shinji with her presence if it meant solving this case.

            “I am certain he didn’t mean that, Monk,” John reassured him. “He wouldn’t do anything that would truly put Mai-chan in jeopardy.”

            “I know that,” Monk argued, staring as Naru disappeared over the top of the stairs. “But, for all his talents, Naru is not omnipotent.”

X

            Monk forced his suspicions away as he re-entered the base. It would not do to greet Mai with those thoughts circling in his head. The girl worried enough about them as it was. Naru was already in the room, surrounded by the women.

            “What happened down there?” Ayako demanded.

            “Shinji was attempting to drown Mrs. Wakaba in the sink whenever we arrived. Takigawa and John attempted to exorcise him, but only managed to weaken him. He adapted to the situation, threw John into Monk, and then fled the room.” Naru’s report was brief. Monk hated to say it, but he was impressed with the kid’s way of simplifying any situation into a few words. Ayako, he could see, was less than impressed. 

            “You were gone for thirty minutes; and you give me three sentences!” Ayako protested angrily.

            “Did anything notable happen here?” Monk asked as he eased himself onto the couch across from Mai.

            “Cecilia has moved on,” Masako said, covering her mouth with her sleeve as all eyes turned to her. Monk noticed that the only one who didn’t seem surprised was Mai. “I felt her fade moments before you returned to base. Did you exorcise her?”

            “No. Cecilia wasn’t in the room with us,” John defended.

            “That was me,” Mai spoke up. Masako’s eyes—along with everyone else’s—swung to her. “I convinced her to pass on so that we could exorcise Shinji. He had been draining her energy periodically throughout the years to make himself stronger. Whenever we arrived, he was a constant drain on her energy. He had taken her strength again just before he appeared in the kitchen that second time.”

            “But how was she regaining her energy so quickly?” Ayako asked. 

            “She was absorbing the lost souls that had been attracted to the orphanage…” Mai murmured. “She was on the verge of being a demon like Shinji…”

            “Well, that’s one less spirit to worry about,” Monk cut through the silence that had fallen on the group after Mai’s declaration. His eyes cut to Naru; suspicion practically oozing from his look. “What do you want to do now?”

            “We set a trap in the kitchen for Shinji tomorrow afternoon.”

            “We are not using Mai as bait,” Monk growled, unable to hold back anymore. Naru looked to him. The cold amusement in the young man’s eyes sent a shiver down the older man’s spine.

            “Of course not, Takigawa. It would be the height of negligence to expose Mai to a spirit so bent on harming her. I plan to use a hitogata.” He dismissed Monk, ignored the sharp look Lin gave him, and turned to Ayako. “Matsuzaki-san, the moment Shinji is fully formed in the room, you will need to bind him. Do not hesitate. Takigawa, as soon as he is bound, start your exorcism. John, be there as backup. It will take all of you to banish him. Lin and I will be in the room if further assistance is needed.” He turned his gaze to Masako and Mai. “You two, stay in base. Miss. Hara, make certain Mai does not leave.”

            “Hey! A little faith here, please!” Mai complained. “The creepy rapist spirit is after me, after all!”

            “And yet, we all know you would charge in the room in a second if things looks like they were going sour,” Monk tacked on at the end of her statement, ruffling her hair affectionately as he did so. Mai swatted him away and rolled her eyes.

            “I will make sure to have rope ready,” Masako teased around her kimono sleeve.

            “Oh, whatever,” Mai huffed.


	5. File 17: The Haunting at Shinji Orphanage, pt. 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The case comes to a close.

**Day 3**

**11 a.m.**

            Mai leaned her head back against the high back of the chair and sighed. Masako sat on the couch just off to the left, reading some sort book for her school; and the others were downstairs monopolizing the light of morning to set up for their evening exorcism. She wasn’t even allowed to help with that; Naru didn’t want her out of the room at any time. The camera from one of the non-active rooms had been moved into the kitchen; so she had a clear view of what the others were doing at all times. Monk was moving furniture from the kitchen; John was gathering his tools needed for the exorcism; Ayako and Naru were clearing the kitchen cabinets out. Taking anything harmful—i.e. glass, pots, and any other heavy, potentially dangerous objects that had been left behind—out of the cabinets, outside, and into the van. Lin was gone, likely preparing for the hitogata.

            “Mrs. Wakaba just abandoned this place after the tragedy, didn’t she?” Mai observed as she knocked her feet back and forth, swinging the swivel chair.  “All of the old furniture is still here and most of the plates and other things…”

            “It makes sense. No one wants to live with an awful memory hanging over the place,” Masako responded.  

            “Think she’ll bulldoze it down after the investigation is finished?” Mai asked. The medium didn’t respond. _‘Fine, fine. I’ll leave you alone to do your homework…’_ She thought, turning her attention back to the monitors. There really wasn’t anything to see this early in the morning—other than the rest of their crew running about like busy bees. Mai propped her elbow up on the table and used her fist as a chin rest.

            Her eyes unconsciously focused in on Naru as he walked back out into the hallway, carrying the box filled with plates and silverware. He continued on through the front door, until she couldn’t see him anymore; but her mind lingered on him long after he was outside.

            He hadn’t addressed the night he had held her; he gave no indication that it had happened at all. Mai wasn’t upset about his silence; she was just confused and couldn’t stop thinking about it herself. Naru had held her; he had reached for her, not the other way around; and he hadn’t been the one to back away first. He hadn’t ran away from her afterward; he’d given her the choice of his company or not. Naru was strangely gentlemanly.

            Then again, maybe he had always been that way and she just hadn’t noticed, too blinded by her own racing heart whenever they were alone to realize it. Mai peered into the monitor as she thought back to all of the times they had been alone before he left for England. He had protected her, shielded her with his body on many occasions; he had waited for her to calm down and even distracted her from her fear. Mai sighed and filed away “gentleman, occasionally” with the things she knew about Oliver “Naru” Davis.

            Monk crossed in front of the camera, drawing her attention away from her thoughts. He was carrying one of the wooden chairs from the kitchen by the legs and heading outside with it. Mai’s brows furrowed.

_He shouldn’t put that outside._ Mai tensed at the sudden prickle of her instincts, the way the unease suddenly launched up a little higher. Mai reached for the walkie-talkie on the desk. “You may want to move the furniture into the shed, Monk,” Mai spoke through the walkie-talkie, startling him. “It could come through a window or something if you set it outside.” Monk shifted the chair back to the floor and unclipped his walkie-talkie from his belt.

            “You really think Shinji is that powerful?” His voice crackled over the line. Mai nodded, forgetting that he couldn’t see her like she could him.

            “Yeah,” she answered. “He’s been feeding off of Cecilia, who had been feeding off of spirits from the astral plane. There’s honestly no telling how powerful he really is…”

            “I’ll put it outside in the shed,” Monk reassured her. “Don’t worry, Jou-chan.” Monk lowered the walkie-talkie back to his side and clipped it to his belt. With a small thumbs up toward the camera, he lifted the chair again with one hand bracing the seat. Mai sighed as Monk walked outside with the chair in hand. She could vaguely track him through the window, moving toward the shed as she requested. _‘Don’t worry.’_ That was easy for Monk to say. Mai had been dogged all morning by unease; it only grew the closer and closer it got to time for the exorcism. Something was going to go wrong, Mai could feel it. She just couldn’t pinpoint what about the exorcism was going to be a bust.

            Naru walked back into the building; Monk was following closely behind him. Mai lifted her wrist and twisted her small watch around so that she could see the time. They still had a few hours before the exorcism would begin. Mai sighed.

            She needed something to help bide the time in between. Unlike Masako, she didn’t have any homework. She didn’t even have a book with her. Mai’s eyes wandered around the room, looking for something to distract herself. Her eyes landed on the case files that Naru brought along with him. He had left them sitting on the desk beside the keyboard. With a slightly sheepish look around the room, Mai reached for the stack and pulled it toward her.

            With a small sigh, she opened the first one. Naru’s handwriting was everywhere on the printed sheet that held the case notes Lin had typed. His sharp script recorded comments and thoughts. Unlike the case files Naru handed out, these were in English. Mai would likely have a horrible headache once the exorcism started, but it was something to do. With a small sigh, she started translating.

_Client Name: Yukio Hio._ That part was easy enough for her to translate and so was the address. Mai pursed her lips as she start to dissect the story the client had to tell. Her husband, ten year old daughter, and she had moved into a new house; at first, everything was fine—a little tense maybe due to her new marriage, but fine. Then, the knocking started and the furniture started to shake.

_‘It sounds like a poltergeist,’_ Mai thought. _‘The daughter fits the typical age and the new marriage could serve as a stressor…’_ Her attention was drawn from the type by Naru’s handwriting in the corner. Mai stared at it, thinking. It looked different from the type. Still sharp like how he signed his name, but it flowed. Suddenly, it clicked. Cursive. Naru had written his comments in cursive. Mai pouted, but doubled her efforts. That was fine. She would figure it out. It didn’t take long for her to realize that he had written what she had thought, _poltergeist,_ with a little question mark beside it.

           She moved on, feeling immensely proud of herself. Yasuhara had apparently already been contacted to unearth the property’s history—nothing stood out. No deaths of any kind had ever occurred in the house or on the property. The house itself dated back to the land’s registration—hinting at old origins, but that wasn’t enough.

           Having moved through the entire report—skimming over some words, Mai determined that Naru wasn’t going to take the case. There was nothing particularly interesting about it. Her eyes landed on the bottom of the page to see a sentence written in Naru’s cursive. She chewed her bottom lip as she tried to translate it.

           Her English had improved with John and Yasuhara’s help, but she still stumbled over some words and cursive. Cursive was the bane of her existence. _‘It makes sense that Naru would just happen to write all of his notes in cursive,’_ Mai snorted, amused by her own thought process.

           “What are you doing?” She startled whenever she heard Naru’s voice. She blinked and looked up. He was standing just in front of the door of the base, walking toward her. His eyes moved away from the file in her hands to her eyes.

            “Working on my English,” she answered cheekily and reading your personal files.  

            “How’s that going for you, Jou-chan?” Monk asked from over Naru’s shoulder. Mai tilted the file and lifted it in the air. With an air of dramatics, she started to read:

            “Daughter likely the cause of poltergeist. Family therapy recommended.” The words came out slow as she read each one. By the time she looked up from the page, she realized there was quite the audience in the room. Ayako, dressed in her miko grab now, looked vaguely impressed and amused. Monk clapped proudly, embarrassing her. She blushed.

            “You’ve come a long way,” John reassured her with a proud smile.

            “You should practice your English with something else. Those files are confidential,” Naru said, taking the files from her hands and setting them back onto the desk.

            “That’s not true,” Mai called him out with a laugh. “If they were, you would have had them locked in that suitcase of yours. Not sitting out where anyone could pick them up.” She swung her chair around so that she could follow him. “You just don’t like the thought of someone having a peek into your private thoughts.”

            “I highly doubt you could comprehend my thoughts, Mai.” He quipped as he propped his hip against the table. Mai snorted.

            “You’re absolutely right, Naru. There’s no way I could break through that cloud of narcissism that coats your brain to get to your actual thoughts.” She said airily as she turned away from him. Naru smirked.

            “Finally, you realize your incompetency,” he teased.

            “I can’t help that your head is lodged so far up,” she ignored the varied reactions of the others and continued, “in the sky that you can’t see past your own delusions of grandeur.”

            “Good save, Mai,” Monk chuckled, not bothering to hide his amusement. Ayako patted John on the back; he had inhaled quite a lot of water whenever Mai started her sentence. _‘Eh, so the good priest isn’t so naïve after all…’_ Ayako thought with growing amusement. She glanced up to see Naru glaring at Mai, who just smiled cheekily. _‘Those tutor sessions with Yasuhara have made you a menace,’_ Ayako noted with pride.        

X

**2 p.m.**

X

            The humor in the room faded the moment Lin stepped back into the base, the hitogata in hand. Mai noted that he looked tired and felt her stomach sink as the anxiety of earlier this morning returned in full form. She almost didn’t hear Naru addressing the rest of the group, reminding them of his plan.

            “Matsuzaki-san will bind Shinji the second he is in the room. Takigawa will then being his exorcism with John. Lin and I will hang back in case something goes wrong.” He reminded them all. Ayako, Monk, and John all nodded in agreement, looking determined and serious; but Mai couldn’t shake the sick feeling growing in her stomach. Despite her teasing, she didn’t doubt Naru’s brilliance and her trust in him was strong; yet, so much of his plan hinged on Shinji being fooled with the hitogata.

            “Mai,” Naru called. She looked up. “Stay in the base.”

            “I know, I know,” Mai dismissed him with a wave of her hand. Naru narrowed his eyes at her. _‘I mean it,’_ his gaze seemed to say, _‘no reckless antics. We can handle it.’_ Mai raised her brows, showing her skepticism. _‘We will see.’_ Naru clenched his jaw and turned away from her.

            “Let’s get started,” he commanded. Mai watched them all depart from the room with a sense of deep foreboding, but she still didn’t know why she felt this way. She tracked the group on the camera as they walked down to the kitchen; and watched Lin set the hitogata onto the counter, just beside the teapot and cups that they had set out just for this occasion.

            She was aware of Masako finally setting aside her homework and coming to stand behind her, but she was too nervous to look away from the monitors. Her unease and fear were mounting the longer the monitors stayed inactive. She was aware of Masako hovering just over her shoulder, watching as well. Mai unconsciously counted her heartbeats as she waited.

_One._ Naru and Lin stepped back. They remained in the kitchen, in case they were needed, but were far enough out of the way that they wouldn't be interfere with the others. Lin stood just in front of Naru; the tension in his shoulders was at odds with the stoic look on his face.  

_Two._ John slid his beads down onto his wrist, holding his crucifix a little tighter in his hand, as he took his allotted place.

_Three._ Monk rolled his shoulders as if trying to shake off his own nerves.

_Four._ Ayako tugged at her sleeve, rubbing a thumb over the red stitching around the cuff.

_Five._ The temperature in the kitchen began dropping as a distortion began to appear just in front of the counter.

_Six._ Masako’s hand slipped over her shoulder, jerking her from the trance of the monitors. She looked up to see the woman’s other hand—covered by the sleeve—at her mouth. Her eyes shown all of the disturbance she didn’t show on her face.

            “I can feel him…even with the protections around the base, I can feel him,” she said quietly. “There’s nothing human left…” She whispered; her fingers tightened slightly on Mai’s shoulder. Fear was present in her eyes. Mai frowned and slid her hand over Masako’s. She had no comforting words to offer right now. She couldn’t think of any. Mai looked back toward the monitor and saw that Shinji was almost fully shaped.

            “Would…would we be able to see the hitogata activate through the camera?” Mai asked.

            “No,” Masako answered; her voice filled with tension. Mai studied the way Shinji moved and leaned forward, letting go of her friend’s hand. Masako’s hand stayed on her shoulder; Mai didn’t complain. She clearly needed the support.

            “Does he look different to you?” Mai asked rhetorically, studying Shinji. His body—which she knew from her vision to be in possession of a large belly—was slim. Upon further study, she saw that his arms and leg were longer than average. His hands were almost touching his knees; and his legs were strangely bowed at the knee as if he couldn't straighten them. Mai swallowed. Masako’s hand clenched around her shoulder. Both girls realized the truth at the same time.

            During the night, Shinji had transitioned into a full demon. Mai's stomach sank. Had he been avoiding the souls for Cecilia, to prolong the girl's torment? Then, whenever Cecilia was cleansed, did he claim all of the non-purified souls for himself? She had no real answers to her questions, but it felt true. Shinji had spent all night preying upon the souls that wandered here, growing in strength. Mai's mouth ran dry.   

            “I…think…” Masako’s voice was soft and weak. The slender hand on her shoulder slowly slipped. Mai spun around, panicked, just in time to see Masako slumping toward the floor. She vaulted from her seat, just in time to catch the girl awkwardly in her arms and brace her against her knees. Dazed purplish-blue eyes looked up at her. “Too much…” she muttered. Mai looked up toward the monitor to see the monster that Shinji became sniffing at the wooden doll he had lifted into his misshapen hand. He tilted it one way and then a wide, eerie smile stretched across his lips. 

            Shinji was going to be too much for their friends. They may weaken him, but they would never banish him, not with the changes he had gone through overnight. She chewed her bottom lip. _‘Looks like I’m immediately breaking that promise to Naru,’_ she thought, but first she needed to tend to Masako. “Can you stand?” Mai asked. Masako’s hand weakly pushed against the floor. She sat up slowly, swaying. Her face was green likely due to the amount of pressure Shinji’s emotions were placing on her. Mai stood taking her hand, letting her hand drift down Masako’s arm to her hand, and helped her to her feet. Once the other girl was standing, Mai wrapped one arm around her waist and the other braced her shoulders at the front. “Lean on me,” she commanded. “I’m going to help you onto the couch and then see what I can do to help the others.”

            “Mai,” Masako warned weakly. ‘ _She’s too tired to even properly berate me,’_ Mai noted. 

            “I know. But they’re going to need help, right?” Mai smiled reassuringly at her friend as she helped her toward the couch. They moved quickly as the sound of Ayako's voice filled the feed, chanting. No sooner had she stopped, then did Mai sense something wrong. 

_“He’s breaking free of the bind!”_ They both heard Ayako scream through the feed; her voice almost lost in the angry roaring of Shinji. The miko’s voice was filled with raw panic. Masako all but collapsed onto the couch, half of her body on it and the other half in the floor. Before Mai could move toward her, she rolled over and pulled herself the rest of the way up. Her head flopped back onto the back of the couch.

            “Go,” she urged, sounding beyond tired. Mai didn't wait another second. _'Don't die, idiot,'_ Masako ordered as she watched Mai leave. The medium glanced at the monitor and felt whatever color she had gained leave her face. Shinji was now loose and angrier than he had been before. The cabinet doors were swinging wildly, creaking and banging against one another. Cuts were exploding along the wall as he roared out his rage for all to hear. Over all of the noise came Ayako’s scream. 

            Mai tore out of the base, down the hallway, and down the stairs. She avoided Stair Number Two’s rotten edge and kept an ear out of the noises below her. She couldn’t hear Monk or John over the banging and screaming of Shinji. Her distraction caused her to make the first mistake of the night. She forgot about Stair Number One. Her weight broke the fragile stair; her foot and ankle dropped down. Before she could fall into the splits or topple down the stairs, she grasped the banister and pulled her ankle free without a thought for the pain. She vaulted down the rest of the way and scrambled into the kitchen just in time to see Monk curling around Ayako’s body to protect her from any further damage—all the while shouting his mantra. John was holding one of his arms close to his chest, but he showed no fear as Shinji lumbered closer to him. He kept repeating his mantra, waving the holy water with his other arm. Lin stood in front of Naru, attempting to shield his charge and drive the demon out with his shiki; unfortunately, his shiki were having no effect. Shinji wasn’t bound so the shiki were having trouble. 

            “HEY!” She shouted, all heads turned toward her. She heard her name ripple through the room—all in varying tones, but paid her co-workers no mind. Mai’s attention was focused solely on the demon, who was now looking at her. “PEDO! OVER HERE!” She waved her arms for emphasis. Shinji leaned away from the cornered John and shifted his weight toward her. His red irises seemed to shine with excitement. “It’s me you want, right?!”

            “You,” Shinji purred. His tongue flicked out and ran over his top lip. Mai shifted one foot back readying to run.  

            “MAI!” Monk shouted as Shinji lunged across the room with more speed than she thought capable. Mai stumbled back, turning on her heel. Demented laughter and the sounds of racing footsteps followed her as she tore upstairs. She could feel his breathe on her back. 

            “Rin. Pyou. Tou. Sha. Kai.” Mai moved rapidly through the forms as she raced. She hadn’t thought of a plan. She needed a plan. Mai wracked her brain as she sped up the stairs, avoiding the broken step to the best of her ability. She couldn’t go to the base; Masako would be in danger then. Running to any of the bedrooms would be a bad idea; she would corner herself; but she was already running upstairs. Her first error of the night had already been made.

            Naru was counting on Ayako’s binding spell to trap Shinji, but he had been able to break free because he was grounded. Mai pursed her lips. _‘The third floor then?’_ It leapt the stairs in one bound and she felt the air part her hair as he soared over her head. He landed at the top of the stairs and spun to face her on all fours. Mai’s heart leapt; her hands and mouth moved faster. “Chin. Retsu. Zai. Zen. Nomaku Sanmanda Bazaradan Kan!” She threw it at him with every emotion she felt in the moment. He screamed out as his body lurched backward, just enough for her to make it up the stairs past him. She took the stairs up onto the unsteady third floor. _‘Please let the floor be enough!’_ Mai begged as she ran.

            “MAI!” She could hear the others scrambling behind her, but she wasn’t sure who was screaming her name. It sounded like Monk, but there were a lot of other voices mixed in. Mai didn’t pay them much attention. If she slowed or looked behind her, Shinji would rip her apart. She didn’t slow as she reached the top of the stairs; she leapt over the blackened bits onto even more unsteady ground. Her feet sank even as she scrambled to stand. She cleared the floor just as the Shinji’s claw like fingers sank onto the place she had been.

             The demon, heavier than her by far, began to sink. She heard and felt the cracks in the top floor as he fell through; his arms stopped him from falling completely down onto the second floor. His nails scrapped and tore the floor apart as he tried to pull himself up. Mai felt the tremors start in her back as she roared at her; his eyes were manic as he screamed. Mai backed away from him until her back hit the wall. His legs were too heavy, too large for him to pull himself up on the mushy floor. She could hear the others trampling up the stairs; a white clad shoulder and red hair led the charge. Ayako mounted the stairs first; Monk, John, Naru, and Lin came next. The relief made her knees weak. Mai sank down against the back wall, releasing the breath she didn’t know she had been holding.

            “Ayako! NOW!” She heard Naru shout and saw the binding spell latch onto Shinji, who was trapped by the floor. Shinji screamed and wriggled, but he got nowhere. Without his feet on the ground, he couldn’t get the leverage to break free of Ayako’s trapping. Mai felt like crying as the adrenaline she had left during her desperate run faded. 

            The exorcism was in full swing. The demon screeched and thrashed; the floor groaned and broke. Mush tore, unsteady wood splintered and headed straight toward her. The others would be safe…since they stood on what looked like the only steady piece of flooring. Mai swallowed. 

            “Masako,” Mai called out loudly, recalling her friend in the base. Her eyes sought out anyone that could hear her, anyone not busy. Her eyes landed on Naru, who was alternating between staring at the demon and at her. Their eyes locked. “Someone needs to get her! If this floor goes…” Naru nodded. Since he was the only available one to go retrieve her, he darted down the stairs. The others redoubled their efforts. Monk’s voice became more powerful along with John’s. It made a strange harmony as they worked together to banish the demon.

            Finally, Shinji vanished with one last angry scream and violent bash to the floor. That last strike was all the floor needed to cave. Mai watched in horror and fear as the floor crumbled. She felt herself fall and heard screams—her own and her friends. The head rush and fear stole her consciousness before she even hit the second floor.

            “MAI!” Ayako screamed as the tiny brunette fell. Monk wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her off of her feet. “LET ME GO!” She struggled, trying to get down to the young girl.

            “What are you planning to do?” Monk hissed in her ear as he practically carried her down the stairs. “Jump down into the wreckage with her?!” Ayako’s eyes filled with tears, but she stopped fighting him. Monk released her once they were at the bottom of the stairs. Her throat closed up at the damage.

            “Oh, God,” Ayako whimpered. The hallway would be impossible to get into without a lot of work. Sharp pieces of wood stuck up everywhere; parts of the walls on the second floor were collapsing underneath the weight of the caved floor, cracks ran down the parts that held. There’s no way Mai wasn’t hurt. A whimper escaped Ayako’s lips.

“I know, I know,” Monk whispered, dropping the sternness in his voice in favor of showing his own pain. “We’ll find her, but first…John and you need to get out of here. His arm’s broken and you’ve got a nasty head wound. Lin and I will stay up here and work through clearing the wreckage.”

            Ayako wanted to argue, but she knew she wouldn’t be much help. She could hardly bend down without getting lightheaded. She wouldn’t be any help to Mai this way; and the longer Monk stood there and argued with her about it, the longer Mai was trapped. She nodded sharply and allowed John to help her down the stairs. Neither spoke as they walked out onto the gravel.

            Naru came jogging up to them from the van. His blue eyes took in all of the injuries and the lack of Monk, Lin, and Mai behind them. “Lin and Monk need your help,” John said, his voice was tight with pain as he interrupted whatever questions Naru had ready for them. “The floor fell out from underneath us. Mai’s--” Naru was gone before John could finish explaining. Ayako shared a look with John as they stumbled toward the van, well away from the building.

            Naru raced up the stairs and mounted the second floor. His breath was knocked from him as he looked around what was left of the floor. Panic tightened his throat as image after image flickered through his head. Mai impaled on one of the spiked pieces of wood; Mai with a broken neck from her fall; her body buried underneath piles of wood...

            “Oliver.” His guardian pulled his attention away from his morbid, panic-driven thoughts with a hand on his shoulder. It was only now that Naru realized the temperature in the room had fallen drastically. Naru looked over at Lin. “I’ve sent a shiki in the wreckage to find her,” Lin spoke up. His voice was filled with exhaustion, but his eyes were sharp. The unsaid piece reached Naru loud and clear: _‘so, stop freaking out.’_

            Naru swallowed and tried to heed his guardian’s advice, but he couldn’t just stand here. Not when Mai was trapped in a dangerous situation. He looked toward Monk. He was trying to clear away some of the wreckage by hand; he was being incredibly careful, only moving pieces that were hooked onto others. Naru unbuttoned his cuffs and pushed his sleeves up to his elbows; without a word to Lin or Monk, he set to work helping him. He was only half-aware of Lin joining Monk and himself.

_‘Mai…’_

X

            Mai felt a gentle hand on her forehead, shifting her hair off of her cheek. Her eyelashes fluttered open to reveal Gene. He withdrew his hand. “You just can’t stay out of trouble, can you?” He asked, teasing in his voice. Mai sat up slowly and looked around. She was on a couch in a darkened room. Only Gene and the couch stood out to her. 

            “It wasn’t like I intended to fall through the ceiling,” she grumbled in response to his teasing. Gene shook his head. Whenever he looked back to her, the amusement on his face was gone. The small smile on his lips was now gone. 

            “I doubt my idiot scientist brother and the others could have handled Shinji without you. I don’t know what Noll was thinking using a hitogata…” Gene’s lips twitched suddenly. A small laugh escaped him. “Well, I do, but he should have known it wouldn’t have worked. Oshima Hiro was blinded by her grief over the loss of her daughter. So, she accepted the hitogata easily—wanting nothing more than to be reunited with her lost child. Shinji only wanted to see just how much fear he could coax out of you; his desire was based in evil intentions. Therefore, he rejected the hitogata. Likely recognizing it as a fake before he even appeared in the room.”

            “Why did Shinji appear if he knew it was a trap?” Mai asked. Gene shrugged. 

            “Probably for the amusement. Demons and malicious spirits feed off of fear. What causes more fear than realizing the situation is out of your control or that nothing you’re doing is working?” Mai furrowed her brows at his rhetorical question.

            “Are you saying Naru was afraid?” Mai asked. She could match the second half of his question to Ayako, Monk, Lin, and John; but Naru? The first half of Gene’s question screamed Naru. 

            “He was terrified.” Gene told her, leaning over slightly so that their shoulders bumped. Instead of moving away like he usually would, he stayed and rested his head against hers. Mai froze. Gene was tired. She didn’t know how she knew, but she could feel his energy fluctuating as he struggled to stay in this moment with her. “He likely still is.” Gene added.

            “Why?” Mai asked, barely moving her head so that she could look up at her spirit guide. “Shinji’s gone. I saw him be banished.” She told him. Gene lifted his head. His expression was suddenly somber and worried.  

            “But _you_ are still in danger.” Mai’s lips parted in surprise. Gene grimaced, looking away from her out into the room. “I didn’t pull you here. You came here on your own. I found you unconscious, surrounded by spirits.” His grimace deepened as he looked back to her. “You aren’t surprised?”

            _“No, after you left, spirits ran amok in my dreams. I had to put up dream catchers just to get a semi-decent night’s sleep.”_ Mai thought. _‘All the truth would do is make him feel guilty for his understandable attachment to his twin—that he can’t really help.’_ Besides, Mai had already decided that she would keep it from her friends, not just the twins. No one needed to know. 

            “Can, can you tell how badly I’m hurt?” Mai ignored his question to offer up one of her own. Gene’s eyes narrowed. She knew he had caught her aversion, but he wasn’t going to press. This was one way in which he was different from his brother. Though he was unhappy that Mai was keeping secrets from him, he would allow her to have them. Finally, Gene shook his head. He reached over and covered her hand with his. Mai jumped at the sudden contact and watched as he entwined their fingers and lifted her hand between them.

            “No, but I can tell you’re in pain,” he answered verbally as he turned her hand for her to see. “This isn’t supposed to be happening,” he added, indicating the faded appearance of her skin. His thumb swept the back of her hand as he laid her hand back on the couch. Mai’s eyes widened as a streak of her usual skin tone followed his thumb. It faded the second his hand left hers. She looked up at him, seeking answers. He offered her his own secretive smile. Mai didn’t bother hiding her pout. If she was going to keep secrets, so would Gene. “You came here to protect yourself from the pain. You forced your soul out of your body so hard that it sent vibrations throughout the plane, drawing attention. It’s how I found you.”

            His answer to her question stole her words, stole the questions she wanted to ask like _how did I force my soul from my body_ and _what do you mean by vibrations?_ She could only stare at him blankly. _‘How bad are my injuries?’_ She wondered. _‘I can’t even astral project on my own intentionally. How bad is the pain that I forced my soul here?’_ Images of her broken body, real or imagined she didn’t know, flashed through her mind. She swallowed and grasped for her spirit guide’s hand again blindly, needing the comfort he provided. She found his hand and grasped it tightly as if it would keep him with her, keep him from falling back to sleep.

            Mai was so lost in her own fear that she didn’t hear Gene’s gasp or feel the way his hand grew warmer underneath hers. “Tell me about you,” Mai requested, turning her attention to him. Her hand tightening around his. “Distract me, please. The longer I sit here, the longer I’m going to work myself up…”

            Gene stared into her eyes, looking for what she didn’t know; but he must have found it because a sad smile graced his lips. He squeezed her hand. “Okay.” He agreed. He wiggled his fingers slightly, requesting that she let go without saying anything.

            Gene could feel his spirit humming as he braced his hands on the edge of the couch; he could feel the volts of Mai’s energy rippling through him, sustaining him like caffeine would a tired man. Her skin became even more flaxen. Any energy he had given her earlier through the touch on her hand and his leaning against her had cycled back into him. She poured so much of her energy into him that she resembled the spirit more than he. His stomach sank. He couldn’t let her touch him again, not in the mental state she was right now. She would fade away and any chance she had at waking—of living—would disappear. Worry for the girl next to him and sheer wonder for the thing she had just done prompted him to hide his hand underneath his leg. If Mai noticed his sudden aversion to touching her, she didn’t say anything; and he wasn’t quite ready to tell her why.

            “Let’s make it like twenty questions, yeah? I tell you something and you tell me something.” _‘Just to reassure me you’re still here,’_ he added silently. Mai nodded in agreement. “Noll was bossy, even as a baby. The day we were born, he pushed me out of the way so that he could be born first.” Mai did as he hoped she would and laughed. Gene smiled. “Unfortunately for him, he still wasn’t considered the eldest. That title still belonged to me.”

            “My mom told me that whenever I was a baby, I clung to my father more than I did her. He was a gentle but stoic man; she said he only ever smiled for the two of us and they came more frequently after I was born. It wasn’t that he was unhappy with his life before us, he just didn’t smile for the sake of it like my mother and I. If he smiled it was because something had moved him.” Mai frowned. “He died whenever I was six. I remember the feeling he gave me more than anything.” A certain warmth and feelings of safety filled the air around them; temporarily coloring the dark room with shades of gold. Purified spirits, Gene wanted to laugh, but kept from it. Mai’s melancholy expression and her sad smile stole the humor of her accidental cleansing of lurking spirits. “I think Lin is most like him.”

X

            Lin grasped one of the larger pieces of flooring; Naru and Monk took the smaller linked pieces and lifted them off from where they overlapped the larger section. Until the shiki came back with news of Mai’s position, they were all being extra careful not to jostle any pieces—fearful that some of the heavier debris would fall on top of the girl. Lin could feel his stomach churning with worry for his young friend.

            ‘ _Base_.’ His shiki’s “voice” informed him, not daring to leave the girl’s side. Through the connection between master and spirit, Lin was granted a quick flash of a shelf and Mai’s white flat. He flinched and dropped the wood to the side. He felt rather than saw the shiki curl up underneath her neck, pillowing her head. Blood from a wound at the back of her head stained the white spirit as it rolled to the floor. Lin swallowed. “She’s in the base,” he informed them, trying to sound stronger, more reassuring than he felt. The others paused with the news. “It doesn’t look good,” he felt compelled to warn them. His eye stayed locked on Naru, praying that the boy would be sensible but knowing he wouldn’t be. This was Mai in danger after all. A sigh escaped him when he felt the telling signs of Naru’s PK building in the air around them. Monk, feeling it too, stepped back closer to where Lin was standing. Sparks gathered around Naru’s hand as he lifted it toward the clump of debris in their way. A sudden wind, slight stinging, and loud noise filled the air as he released it. Lin, who hadn’t closed his eyes, watched as the wood—now closer to chips—flew backward toward the wall, immediately clearing the way to the base. Saw dust had barely had the chance to settle before all three men were moving.

            Naru had been very precise with what he blew away. None of his PK had touched the base. The debris was still in here. The walls were falling in; the monitors in the corner were busted, beyond saving. Electric sparks kept falling through the monitors, signaling just how dangerous this room really was. A fire was likely. It only took Lin a second to take off of this in, before he was moving to where his ward knelt at the base of the shelf. He could see his shiki, holding up Mai’s head. The spirit looked up at him with a slight mournful look in its eye—and let Lin feel the unsteadiness of Mai’s pulse and know of her injuries: broken leg and wrist, bruised shins, head wound, and possibly broken ribs. Lin refused to let himself be overcome by the sudden rush of panic he felt; this was something he could help fix. Mai was pinned underneath the shelf as the shiki had shown him before. The sides of the shelf were on her ribs and her shins. Naru grasped one of the bars; Monk squeezed on the other side of the wall and the shelf and grasped that end; and as a unit, they lifted. Lin fell to his knees and gently pulled Mai free from below the shelf. His shiki kept her head steady and helped guide her into his arms. It worried Lin that now his shiki could touch her. They could only touch those close to death. 

            Lin didn’t bother waiting for Naru and Takigawa. He needed to get her down to the front lawn immediately where he hoped ambulances would be. He moved as quickly and carefully as he could down the stairs and out the house.

            “HEY!” He cried the second he was on the lit up lawn. Lights from sirens painted the lawn in a canopy of different colors, highlighting the paramedics that had been attending to his colleagues, but were now looking in his direction. “I need some help!”

            Two paramedics rushed for the gurney inside of the ambulance and another made a bee-line for Lin and Mai. “What happened?” The woman asked as she walked briskly alongside Lin, trying to keep pace with his long strides.

            “The third floor of that building fell in. She fell to the second floor. I think she hit her head and I’m reasonably sure one of her legs and wrists is broken. A shelf was pinning her to the floor whenever we found her. So be careful of her ribs…” Lin demanded as he laid her on the gurney. The paramedic’s lips tightened but she didn’t argue. She turned to her colleagues.

            “Load this girl and Mr. Brown into the same ambulance.” Lin kept an eye on Mai as they rolled her away. One paramedic jumped into the back of the ambulance to brace the gurney so that she wouldn’t jar.

            “Taniyama, Mai,” Lin told the paramedic that remained. “Her name is Mai.” John climbed into the back of the ambulance once Mai was settled in the center. There was a certain pallor to his skin that he didn’t have before as he took in Mai’s injuries in the fluorescent lights of the ambulance. Lin was too far away to see her injuries and it had been too dark. He only knew what the shiki communicated upon finding her. 

            “We’ll take good care of her, sir.” She reassured him before leaving him standing there. She rushed into the ambulance with her co-workers and then it was gone before Naru and Monk even made it outside.

X

            “You need to go back now,” Gene said just as he had finished talking about the time Naru and he got in trouble for frightening the other kids at the orphanage by talking and saying the same things at the same time. “You’re at the hospital now.”

            “How can you tell?” Mai asked, looking at the room.

            “Hospitals have the most spiritual activity out of any building because of the amount of dead that pass through it. I can feel the astral plane getting busier,” he answered. “Which means you’re more vulnerable to possession. So, you need to return to your body.”

            “But I don’t know how…” Mai pointed out. “You’ve always done that.” 

            “Consider this the start of my lessons,” Gene said cheekily as he turned to face on her the couch. He crossed his legs over one another and motioned for Mai to mimic him. She did slowly, confused about why he was having her sit cross-legged. “Focus on your breathing.” He commanded once she settled.

            “Like Masako’s trick?” Mai asked. Gene nodded. He watched as Mai started, breathing in deeply, holding it, and then releasing it in a timed manner. Around her third set, Gene spoke up again, “close your eyes and find the tether between your soul and your body.”

            _‘A tether?’_ Mai thought. She kept counting her breaths as she waited. “There’s not anything, Gene.” She said after a few minutes. Gene’s eyes widened. _‘No…’_  

            “Keep going, it should appear any minute.” Gene instructed. The tether is the bond between the soul and body; it only exists whenever a person is living _. ‘Please,’_ he prayed to any who would listen, _‘please. Don’t take her too.’_ He wasn’t sure who he was praying for: Mai, Noll, or himself. But the longer he watched Mai’s expression remain unchanging, the more he felt like praying. He knew that if he still had a heartbeat it would be racing. _‘Please…’_ Gene suppressed a happy cry whenever Mai suddenly flinched as if stung.

           “Bright,” she whined. Gene almost sank to the floor. _‘Oh, thank God.’_ He thought. Vaguely, he wondered what color her tether was. He knew from talking to other spirits here, who saw the moment their tether snapped, that all were different; but he knew now was not the time to ask. She really did need to leave.   

           “Have you found it?” Gene asked for clarification, trying to keep the relief out of his voice. Mai nodded.

           “It’s weak, but I see it,” Mai answered. “It’s kind of neat,” she continued, awe in her voice. “It’s like…a light pinkish yellow and it’s twisting around itself like a braid, growing stronger by the minute.” Gene felt his stomach sink. _‘So, she had died…’_ He thought sadly.    

            “Good. Follow it and it’ll take you back to your body,” he told her.  

            “Bye, Gene,” Mai breathed. _“Sleep well.”_ Slowly, she started to fade from the plane, back to the land of the living. Gene was frozen where she had left him, still too keyed up on the energy she had forced into him to fall asleep like she assumed.  

            “Heal fast.” Gene wished as he watched her fade from the astral plane, following a line only she could see. Once she was fully gone, he sighed and ran a hand down his face.

            _‘She’s getting stronger every day,’_ he thought with both a mixture of pride and fear. He held the hand she had grabbed onto out in front of him and clenched it. He could still feel her energy radiating through him, granted him power and false life. He would never truly be alive again, but in this moment he could feel sensation in a way he couldn’t before. _‘Spirits draw off the energy of the living. I had been doing well not to take a single ounce from her out of fear of becoming a poltergeist…’_ He turned his palm so that he faced him. _‘I wonder what freely given energy would do…’_ Still, despite his curiosity, he knew better than to keep it; but he couldn’t expel it out into the plane. Energy floating freely could be picked up by any vengeful spirit and be turned into fuel. Gene sighed. The only option he could think of was returning the excess energy to Mai.

            _‘It seems like I have a hospital to haunt. I’m sorry for the fright I will give you, Miss. Hara.’_

X

            Masako Hara watched as the nurses ran about, checking Mai’s vitals. She could still feel her body trembling from the terror of losing a friend. Her fingers wouldn’t stop seizing around an unresponsive Naru’s sleeve. It was a testament to his own shock that he had not shaken her off yet. The doctor had told them all whenever he moved her into this room that Mai was stable now. She had made it through the surgery to close her punctured lung just fine. Mai _had been_ fine. So, why had her heart suddenly failed?

            She didn’t know what was more traumatizing: being in the room and hearing her heart suddenly start slowing or watching from afar while doctors attempted to bring her back. It still wasn’t up to speed, baffling doctors who could apparently find no medical cause for her heart failure. She could still hear the spaced beeps coming from the monitor; and they were still refusing to let any of them back into the room. Did that mean she was still in danger?

             Masako’s lips fell open in a startled gasp as a shimmering started to distort the area just above Mai’s bed. She could hardly see it around all of the nurses and the doctor; but as it became clearer she felt her heart begin to race.

             “Miss. Hara?” Naru called her name. She didn’t bother looking at him as the boy reached for Mai’s cheek.

            “Gene,” she whispered to him. The forever fifteen year old boy floated over Mai’s hospital bed. He cupped her cheek so gently and then his eyes—so much like Naru’s but so much more tender and afraid—closed. She felt the air become charged, much like whenever Naru’s PK built in the room, but it was softer, more like a hug than a sting. A surge of this energy passed from his hand and onto her skin. Miraculously, Mai’s vitals steadied slowly. Her heart started to gain in rhythm, each beep putting her closer to her normal beat per minute. Gene smiled and removed his hand from her cheek. Before it even returned to his side, he was fading. “What…” Masako whispered.

            “Miss. Hara,” Naru snapped. Masako looked over at him. His blue eyes were intense as he stared at her. “What did Gene do?” She lifted her sleeve to cover her mouth. Her eyes wandered away from him and back into the room where the doctor and nurses stood even more baffled than before.

            “He…gave her some sort of jolt. It felt…almost like your PK, but warmer,” Masako explained lamely. Naru looked away from her now. His eyes seeking out Mai’s body once more. “He’s not there anymore,” Masako felt the urge to tell him, but he didn’t even turn to look at her.

            “Well, whatever he did,” Ayako spoke up, drawing her eye away from Naru again. The medium blinked. The priestess stood in the circle of Monk’s arms. The man had pulled her out of the room whenever Mai’s heart had started to fail; he had practically lifted her. It was surprising that Ayako had stayed. The makeup smear on Monk’s shirt told Masako that she had done more than just stay; she had hidden her face into his chest to avoid looking. Masako chose not to comment. The moment was still too raw. “It saved her life.”

            Monk’s eyes were fixed on Naru, watching him over listening to the girls. His fists were clenched so tightly that it felt likely he was going to split the skin of his palm, but even that couldn’t hide the shaking; and his eyes hadn’t moved from Mai. Monk didn’t even think he was blinking. There was so much rage and pain in the younger boy’s expression that Monk felt uncomfortable. A slight pressure against his chest caused him to look away. Ayako pushed gently against his chest; he let his arms fall back to his side, releasing her.

            Ayako stepped closer to the room as the doctor came out. Monk shifted just a little closer, standing over her shoulder. “Well,” he announced uncertainly, looking between all of the people that stood just outside, “she’s steady now, but we are going to keep her sedated for the time being. Unfortunately, whenever we were resuscitating her, a few of her ribs broke again. Until we’re certain her lung is fine, we’re going to keep her under to give it a chance to heal.”

            “How long do you think that is going to be?” Monk asked.

            “A day, at most. We want to avoid adding a feeding tube if we can. If, after we dial back on the medicine, she doesn’t wake up we’ll have to consider it.”

            “Is there a chance of that?” Ayako demanded.

            “I’m not sure. Her heart shouldn’t have failed like it did. I assure you her vitals were fine whenever we brought her into the room. They were a little weak, but that’s nothing concerning after a surgery.” Ayako huffed, but kept her tongue. Monk was too startled to say anything.

            “Clearly, you should have been concerned,” Naru spoke up without fear of reproach.

            “Yes, clearly,” the doctor agreed dryly, likely annoyed to be scolded by a boy thrice his junior. “If you have any more questions, you know where to find me.” He dismissed himself before hurrying away from them.

            “I’m applying her for a transfer the second she is able to be moved,” Ayako said. No one else disagreed.

            “You can go back in now.” One of the nurses—a small woman dressed in pink scrubs—announced as a few of her colleagues wheeled away the cart they had rushed in the second Mai’s vitals dropped. Naru walked inside without so much a word to the nurse.

            “Thank you,” Monk said, sincerity coated each word. The nurse blinked wide brown eyes at him. He smiled and then missed the way the nurse blushed slightly; Ayako however did not. The small nurse blanched at the look Ayako leveled her before the priestess walked inside the hospital room. Monk followed her, leaving the uncomfortable nurse in the hall with Masako. The medium only sparred her a sympathetic look before entering the room and closing the door.      


	6. Awareness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mai wakes in the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Ghost Hunt belongs to Fuyumi Ono and Shiho Inada.

           Beep.

           Beep.

           Beep.

 _‘Ugh. What is that noise?’_ Mai opened her eyes and immediately closed them again. “So bright,” she complained with a pained moan. She could still see the violent fluorescent lights through her eyelids. There was a quiet shuffling noise and then the brightness was dimmed. Mai finally opened her eyes. Naru! He stood beside the bed. There wasn’t a scratch on him, but…“You look tired,” she croaked.

            “He’s been without your tea for three days,” another voice chimed in, trying not to be loud but only just failing. Mai looked at the foot of her bed to see Monk. He smiled widely at her attention.

            “I’m glad you all got out okay,” she said. Her throat was scratchy and painful. _‘Is Naru mad at me?’_ She wondered. He wasn’t talking. She looked back over at him. Wait. “THREE DAYS?!” Her voice didn’t come out quite as powerful as she wished. It cracked and broke, not letting her go louder than a whisper.

            “Your ribs were badly broken so they kept you sedated to keep you from jarring them,” Naru finally spoke. Yeah, he was angry. She could hear it rolling just underneath his voice. “Along with those injuries, you have a broken ankle, wrist, and sustained quite the severe concussion.”

 _“You came here to protect yourself from the pain. You forced your soul out of your body so hard that it sent vibrations throughout the plane.”_ Gene’s voice came back through her head. Mai frowned. _‘No wonder...’_    

            “Also one of your ribs punctured a lung, causing internal bleeding…” Naru continued as if he hadn’t lost her attention. Mai pursed her lips. _‘Shouldn’t you have led with that?’_ She complained. For a moment, they simply stared at one another. Mai didn’t know what to say; she wasn’t going to apologize for interfering; and Naru, it seemed, couldn’t talk. The rage she could hear brewing in his voice rose to the surface as if recounting her injuries had been the final straw. “What were you thinking, rushing in like that?” He snapped. 

            “I was thinking Ayako’s binding spell wouldn’t work if he could get solid footing,” Mai answered. _‘Of course…that plan didn’t come to me until I was already up the stairs to the second floor…but he doesn’t need to know that.’_  

            “So you decided all on your own to trap him on the unstable third floor, putting yourself and all of us in danger?” He demanded. Mai furrowed her brows at his wording, but he didn’t allow her time to linger on it. His icy blue eyes demanded an answer.

            “I knew you guys would be fine,” she reasoned. “The floor in front of the stairs was more solid.” Naru’s eyes narrowed; her calm attitude and reasoning only angered him more.

            “It’s fine if you were collateral damage then?” _‘Is he even listening to me?’_ Mai could feel the fragile hold on her temper slipping. His words were so accusatory that it chafed her. She had just woken up and he was already starting in on her! 

            “No,” Mai grit her teeth. “It’s not fine. I’m just saying that-”

            “I don’t need someone so idiotic working for my company.” Naru continued on as if she hadn’t spoken. Mai grit her teeth.

            “Idiotic?!” Her voice broke as she screeched the word. The sound ripped through her dry throat like a razor, but she didn’t back down. “I saved you, you ass! Weren’t you the one who said that if a hitogata failed you would be trapped in the room with the spirit?! Well, guess what, Naru, your great plan failed! You failed!”

            Naru almost curled his lip at the blunt reminder of his failure; to hear it from her lips only enraged him more. “It was luck that enabled Shinji’s exorcism and nothing more. We would have found a way to banish him even if you hadn’t interfered.” Naru hissed his response, his voice not raising above normal; but the ice could be felt acutely.

            “Yeah, it looked like that was going _really_ well for you, Naru.” Mai snorted. “Were you planning on putting your plan into motion before or after you were ripped into little pieces? You know, for someone so knowledgeable, you are an idiot!” The heart monitor started to speed up are her anger grew, but neither person paid it any mind. Monk however did.

            “Hey, Naru!” Monk tried to interrupt as he looked away from the sharp lines that tracked Mai’s heartbeat. “Mai!” Like the climbing beeps on the heart monitor, his voice went ignored.

            “If you think so lowly of me,” Naru interrupted her, “perhaps you shouldn’t work for me anymore. I don’t need someone so useless on my team that they believe endangering themselves is heroic.” The words hit her like a physical blow. The pain of them brought tears to her eyes, but she easily transformed her pain into rage.        

“HEY!” Monk shouted as he wedged himself between the bed and Naru. “That’s enough!”

            “Well, I don’t want to work for someone who puts their damned pride before their employees!” Mai returned heatedly, even though she could no longer see Naru. Her voice cracked at the end, not allowing her to raise above normal volume. 

            “MAI!” Monk’s shout of her name startled her. His dark brown eyes cut a silencing glare at her over his shoulder, before he turned to focus on Naru. Truthfully, Monk didn’t know who he was angriest at or most disappointed in: Naru, for starting a fight whenever Mai had just woken up, or Mai, for making a hospital visit necessary in the first place. “Both of you need to take a second to calm down before you say anything more you’ll come to regret. Naru, go home. Get some sleep. If you still feel like firing Mai in the morning, I won’t stand in your way. I’ll think you’re an idiot, but I won’t stand in your way.” Without waiting to see if Naru did as he asked, he turned to Mai. “And you need to calm down. You don’t need to get so worked up. You’ll burn more morphine that way…and I don’t think you want to feel the pain.” Monk blocked Naru from Mai’s vision, but she hoped he could still feel her glare. The door closed, signaling that he had left. Mai huffed and looked away from Monk. She wanted so badly to cross her arms over her chest, but she had an IV in one hand and a heavy cast on the other. So, she just settled for glaring at her feet and the ugly white boot on her foot.

            “Where does he get off?!” She grumbled. “If he hadn’t-”

            “Stop,” Monk cut her off sternly. Mai jerked her attention back to him; her mouth dropping open to argue, but the look in Monk’s eyes stopped her. His brown eyes flashing with rage he had kept well-hidden. “While I agree with you that it was in poor taste for Naru to confront you here about your reckless behavior, you also have to realize that you put us through hell doing what you did.” Mai shrank slightly back into the bed. Her rage temporarily quelled by Monk’s scolding. “Naru’s been here for three days straight waiting for you to wake up. You know as well as I do—probably even better—that he didn’t mean a word that came out of his mouth then.” Monk sank down into the chair just beside her bed. The startling contrast of black on white brought her attention to it better than Monk sitting down. _‘Naru’s coat…’_ She knew. Her stomach sank as her guilt ballooned. “You scared all of us really bad, Mai,” Monk whispered as he reached for her hand. How heavy her hand felt baffled her. She looked down as he gingerly picked it up and saw the reason for the sudden weight. There was a clamp on her finger.  Next, she saw the vivid bruising around the IV. The sight of the needle in her hand made her woozy so she looked back up to Monk, who was still staring down at her hand. “They had to do everything quickly. You were in pretty bad shape whenever they brought you in.” His eyes were so haunted that Mai felt her heart crack. He swallowed strongly as if emotion were threatening to overcome him. Mai felt her lower lip tremble as she witnessed the rawness of his pain. “So cut him some slack, okay?” His words came out weak as if he had barely won the battle with tears. Mai nodded, the tears finally falling. Monk sighed. His hand left hers in favor of ruffling her hair like he usually did, but he stopped before his hand touched her head. _‘Concussion,’_ Mai realized. _‘Right.’_ He lowered his hand back down to hers.

            “John was transported to the hospital with you,” Monk said; he needed to fill the silence somehow and he hoped she would reply. He just…at this moment, he needed to hear her voice. He still couldn’t get that awful sight, that terrible sound, out of his head. Now that she was awake, it all hit him just how close they all came to losing her. “Shinji broke his dominant arm in two places to keep him from using holy water. Ayako didn’t need a whole lot of medical attention, just a few stitches to her forehead.”

            “And Masako?” Mai asked. The last time she had seen the medium, she had been unconscious on the base’s couch.

            “Naru got her out in time. She woke up the second Shinji was gone. A little shaken, but fine. He came straight back in once he knew she was okay…even used his PK to clear the way once we knew where you were…”

            “You’re just trying to guilt me, aren’t you?” Mai asked. Monk smiled slightly.

            “Not at all. I’m just telling you what happened while we wait for the nurses to arrive. Any guilt you have is your own doing.”

            “Right,” Mai said disbelievingly.

            “I’m serious!” Monk protested, but he didn’t linger in denial for long. He simply continued with his story: “Lin was the one that got you out. He was gone with you before Naru and I could even put down the shelf.” The traces of amusement faded from his eyes. He looked down, away from her. “They said that if we hadn’t gotten to you as fast as we did, you wouldn’t have made it.”

            A somber silence fell over them after that. Mai couldn’t help but think of Gene’s concern over her greyed skin and the fear she had heard in his voice whenever she said she couldn’t find her tether. _‘Oh, I really don’t like the implications of that…’_ She thought. Her eyes flicked up to Monk, who was staring at her hand again and looked as if he were reliving something he’d rather not. _‘There’s something he’s not telling me.’_

X

           Naru hadn’t made it far down the concrete path that lead out of the hospital; his damned fear wouldn’t let him take another step. His hands hadn’t stopped shaking since the heart monitor, since _her_ heart monitor had stopped. There was no explanation that the doctors could find for it. They had stabilized her, they said; except, clearly they hadn’t. Her blood pressure tanked lower than before and her heart had slowed…and kept dropping until all that was left was that damned line and that awful sound. He hadn’t been aware of anything but that flat line until one of the nurses literally knocked him out of the way in their haste to get to her. The fear of losing another person had glued him to the ground. It had taken Masako pulling on his sleeve to get him to leave the room; the tiny medium had forcibly pulled him out. And then Gene…it had been Gene that had brought her heart rate back up and pulled her from danger. For the second time since Mai’s injury, he had been useless, utterly and completely useless.  

            He had always had problems understanding grief and other emotions, but in that moment—staring at that line and hearing that prolonged beep—he had gotten intimate with it. That unfamiliar feeling of his throat closing, the way his eyes had stung…he had been close to tears. He had only ever cried when Gene died; he had been so broken that he had been moved to tears. And, in that hospital room watching them try to save Mai without causing further damage to her ribs, he had felt it again—that overwhelming sense of fear and grief. 

            _‘And now you’re trying to distance yourself from her,’_ he swore he heard his brother’s voice in his head. _‘Running away because you can’t stand the thought of losing another person as close to you as I was. I never took you for a coward, Noll.’_ Naru knew his brother wasn’t really present. There was no mirror near him. The words were only an echo of his own emotions, but still they cut into him as if Gene himself had been the one to say them.

            He sank down onto the bench. It was late in the night, early morning at best. It was three a.m. Mai had officially been asleep for four days, not three, but he hadn’t had the energy to correct Monk. All he had felt upon realizing Mai was waking was profound relief. He had been standing before he was aware of moving. The moment he saw those eyelashes flutter open to reveal her eyes, he hadn’t been able to look at anything else. Monk had been the one to dim the lights. All Naru had been able to focus on was the girl in the bed.

            And then…then his rage had taken the place of all of the relief as he relived the horrible moments that led up to her injury. He had felt unnerved by the appearance of Shinji, but it hadn’t turned into fear until Mai appeared at the kitchen door and screamed for its attention. His heart had sank to the floor, much like it had whenever he saw Gene’s death, the moment the demon ran after her. She had only stayed one step—literally one step—out of reach of his claws and mouth; and come so close to a beheading whenever it leapt over the stairwell in an attempt to block her off. The second time her eyes opened, all of his fear had risen up again and transformed into blinding rage that she had put herself in that situation.

            He had unfairly hefted all of the blame onto her shoulders; all the while, he had ignored rationality that said he was more to blame. Lin had disagreed with the hitogata from the beginning. He had tried to get him to see that it would fail and to adjust his plan, but Naru hadn’t wanted to entertain the thought of using Mai as bait. He had rejected the very thought of dangling her in front of Shinji…and, in the end, it hadn’t mattered. His failure to consider it had only put Mai in more danger because the situation hadn’t been controlled. The fact was…more people had been hurt due to his blind negligence than Mai’s sheer recklessness.

 _“Well, I don’t want to work for someone who puts their damned pride before their employees!”_ A bitter laugh escaped his lips as he recalled Mai’s words, quiet but biting. It hadn’t been pride he had put before everyone else; it had been her.

 _“How can you ask her to have faith in you whenever you have so little faith in her?”_ Lin had asked him whenever they spoke of the hitogata in private.

_Mai was a danger magnet._

_She attracted ghosts like bees to pollen._

_She wasn’t that strong psychically as the rest of them; she wouldn’t be able to shield herself._

_She would be in the way in the already cramped kitchen._ He had used any and every excuse he could think of to keep Mai out of danger and in the base. Eventually, Lin was so worn down by his examples that he had finally agreed; but the air of disapproval had remained. 

            Hindsight was always twenty-twenty, as the saying goes. Mai would have been safer if he had just included her. She likely wouldn’t be in a hospital bed now with multiple broken bones, a punctured lung, and a concussion.

            Naru bowed his head into his hands. He had been so frightened for her. Yet, the first thing he had done was blame her. He wasn’t even mad at her. He was the angriest at himself. Madoka had sent him report after report cataloguing her growth as a physic; he had seen how much powerful her warding spells had become; and he had still sidelined her as if she were the same girl that had started working for him months ago that knew very little of the dangers their job could offer.

            Lin had been right. For as much faith as Naru requested she have in him, he didn’t offer half that much back to her. He trusted in her abilities, but when it came to trusting her to keep a level head in dangerous situations, he fell short. He ran his hands down his face and lifted his head.

            He was going to have to apologize, not just for starting an argument while she was still in the hospital but for threatening to fire her as well. Naru resolved that the apology for his lack of faith in her would be silent; he would work at trusting her more, including her in his plans instead of automatically assuming she would fight him or mess up somehow. Somehow, he thought the verbal apology was going to be easier.

            Naru stood from the bench and looked up toward the second floor where he knew Mai’s hospital room to be. He knew better than to try and issue his apology now; he knew enough from watching his father and mother fight that women needed time to calm down. He would go home, shower, sleep until six, and then head into the office to check his messages. Once visiting hours started, he would come back—that is assuming she even wanted to see him.

X

            Ayako tapped the foot not on the pedal impatiently as she waited for the light to change. Her parents had finally allowed her to leave their hospital so that she could visit Mai at another hospital—four hours away. Ayako sighed. She could wait until this hospital agreed to the transfer, until Mai was healed enough for it.

            Four days. Mai had been asleep for four days now. On the second day, she had nearly given them all a heart attack when she had abruptly suffered a bout of severe bradycardia to the point where her heart had failed. For one frightening minute, her heart had stopped.

            Ayako sighed. Before that, Naru had at least gone home to shower and allowed Lin to talk him into going downstairs to eat; but after, after Naru stayed in that seat next to her bed and watched her. The room felt permanently charged, as if his PK was boiling just underneath the skin ready to shock her heart if it dared drop below the standard speed. Ayako wouldn’t have put it past him. The light turned green and Ayako eased her car along behind the vehicle in front of her.

            Whenever Mai was admitted, they had all decided to take shifts so someone was with her at all times just in case she woke up or her heart failed again. Right now, Monk was supposed to be with her; and they would shift out with her so that he could go to his gig on time. _‘I hope she wakes up soon,’_ Ayako thought sadly as she flicked on her blinker and turned into the hospital parking lot.

            Ayako hurried up to the hospital and into the hospital. Stepping out onto the second floor was a hum of activity Ayako was very used to. Nurses were running back and forth, phones constantly ringing. Ayako’s heart sank the closer she got to Mai’s room. The activity seemed to be centered on her room.

            “You’ll have to be careful of your ribs, absolutely no strenuous activity,” the doctor’s voice filtered through the doorway. Ayako’s breath caught. What? She changed her sluggish pace in favor of a hurried walk. One of the nurses—the one in the pink scrubs—stepped aside the second Ayako’s heels started clicking louder against the tile. Ayako only briefly noted the smile on the woman’s face in greeting. She entered the room and felt her breath leave her. There among the nurses and the doctor sat Mai—wide awake and looking slightly overwhelmed by the guidelines the doctor was giving her. Ayako smiled widely _. ‘Oh, thank goodness…’_ She thought warmly as she pressed a hand to her chest. Mai caught her eyes and smiled brightly. The doctor trailed off once he realized he had lost the girl’s attention. He looked over his shoulder to see Ayako. “We’ll hold you for a few more days just to make sure that everything is fine. After that, you’ll have to take it easy. You seem to have quite the support system, Miss. Taniyama, so I’m certain you’ll be fine. I’ll write you an extended note that releases you from work and school due to your injuries.” Mai’s almost blinding smile at that caused the doctor, Ayako, and Monk to chuckle.

            The deep chuckle of her co-worker drew her attention to him. He was leaning against the wall well out of the way of the nurses who were busy adjusting Mai’s drips. Whenever he saw her attention on him, he smiled widely. In his fist, he clutched a small Styrofoam cup that she was certain was filled with horrible iced coffee. Ayako approached him.

            “I thought I told you to call me whenever she woke up,” Ayako scolded. Monk shrugged.

            “I got held up.” The dismissive way sparked Ayako’s quick temper. She narrowed her eyes. Monk looked away from her. His mouth twisted into a grimace. He shook his head and then looked back up to her with a sigh. “Naru started a fight with her the second her eyes opened. I mean, I get it. I get why he would be angry, but he could have picked a better time.”

            “So, at what point during this did you decide to prioritize coffee over calling me?” She returned.

            “I just got it!” Monk protested. “The doctor came in and-”

            “And you didn’t stay?!”

            “They had to check her ribs!”

            “Um…guys?” Mai’s call broke through their impending argument quickly. They looked over to her and saw that—at some point during their bickering—the doctor and his nurses had cleared out of the room. She raised her brows. 

            “Mai.” Ayako immediately started over to the younger girl, leaving the incredulous Monk behind to fume. Mai spared Monk a sympathetic smile before turning her attention to the approaching woman. “How are you feeling?” Ayako sat down gingerly at the side of her bed.

            “I’m fine at the moment. Or, at least, I will be until they ween me off of whatever pain drug they have me on,” Mai complained. She was not looking forward to the experience.

            “Yeah, well, they don’t want you to be an addict, Jou-chan,” Monk chimed in, coming to stand close to them. Ayako looked away from him. She was still annoyed that he hadn’t called.

            “I applied to have you transferred to my hospital, that way you’ll be closer to where you live whenever you’re discharged,” Ayako said. ‘ _And away from these awful doctors,_ ’ she thought as she lifted a hand and run through Mai’s short hair as she had done many times since Mai was admitted into the hospital and sleeping. Her fingers combed through the strands, greasy though they were. Her eyes widened as she caught Mai’s startled expression. She slowly lowered her hand from Mai’s hair; her face turned as red as her sweater. “Sorry.” The entire time Mai had been asleep, whenever Ayako sat with her, she would run her fingers through Mai’s hair; she had hoped it would give the younger girl comfort like it had her. Mai blushed in return and looked down at her hands.

            “It’s alright,” Mai reassured her. “It was nice…” She admitted shyly. “I haven’t had anyone run their hands through my hair since my mom died…I didn’t realize I had missed it.” She added, daring an unsure glance up at Ayako’s still red face. The woman blinked, then a tender smile crossed her lips. Mai scrunched up her nose. “My hair must feel pretty nasty.” She muttered. It felt all heavy and gross against her head.

            “I can wash your hair for you, but I’m afraid the rest of you will have to wait until they clear movement for you,” Ayako told her. Mai’s eyes lit up at the offer; a blinding smile crossed her lips.

            “I would love that.”

            “Let me go ask the doctor if it’s alright and then we’ll get started, okay?” Ayako suggested as she stood up from the edge of the bed. Mai nodded, clearly excited. Monk stood off to the side, watching the exchange; his heart felt so full watching Mai’s lips part into that blinding smile. He had thought he would never see it again. Ayako gave such a warm smile back at the girl that Monk felt his heart quicken. He blushed and looked down at his iced coffee. He raised the cup to his lips to try and hide the redness of his cheeks.

            “I’ll be right back. Stay with her,” Ayako ordered him, pointing one painted red fingernail in his direction. Monk saluted with his free hand, still not looking at her. Something must be wrong with him. There was no way Matsuzaki Ayako was making his heart race.

            “So, Monk,” Mai started, looking up at the older man who was staring after Ayako as she walked away to hunt down a doctor. She raised a brow, trailing off. He looked uneasy about something and there was a suspicious redness to his cheeks. He still hadn’t lowered the cup from his mouth, but he didn’t seem to be drinking anything. Mai smirked. “Finally, figured it out, have you?”

            Monk gave a sudden intact of breath, accidently slurping up a large amount of iced coffee in his shock. He turned away from Mai trying not to spew any onto her even as he coughed and tried to expel the sudden burn to his nose. “I’m sorry!” Mai exclaimed, sounding entirely too insincere.

            “Figured out what?” He denied in a wheeze as he grabbed for some tissues to dap off the coffee that had spilled down his shirt at her rather sudden question. He could still feel the redness in his face. Mai snorted at his dismissal.

            “You like Ayako.”

            “Of course I like Ayako. She’s a good friend,” Monk evaded. 

            “Right,” Mai drawled _. ‘Man, and I thought I was the teenager.’_ Still, she let it drop. If Monk wasn’t ready to face the fact that he liked Ayako in a romantic way she wasn’t about to force him too.

            _‘Like Ayako?’_ Monk repeated in his head. ‘ _Right._ ’ Still, it was harder to tell himself that all he felt for the woman was friendship. He certainly liked it whenever she was jealous; and he liked spending time with her. These last few incredibly stressful days had shown him a side to the woman he hadn’t known existed and he couldn’t help but feel moved by her strength.

            _“She reminds me of my younger sister,” Ayako’s voice broke through the quiet of the hospital room. For the moment, it was just Mai, Monk, and Ayako. Ayako’s cheek was propped up on the railing; the chair she sat in was pulled as close as it could be to her bed; and her fingers were moving through the girl’s short strands, ever careful not to pull and disturb to wound on the back of the girl’s head._

_“I thought you were an only child,” Monk said just as quietly as she had spoken, as if a sound louder would wake the sleeping girl. Ayako looked away from the young girl. The sadness in her eyes stymied him._

_“I am now, but I wasn’t always…” She sighed. “My sister died when she was Mai’s age; I was only a year older, but she always seemed to have so much more life in her than I did. She wasn’t afraid of the world; she didn’t hide from it, if anything she got out in it and made certain all knew she was there.” Monk smiled. She did sound a lot like Mai, but there was some of Ayako in there as well. He could hear it. “For her seventeenth birthday, she wanted to go out to a hiking spot she’d never been to before. I dropped her and a group of her friends off at the ranger station in front of the park and told her bye, to call if anything went wrong. She had laughed and brushed me off, calling me a worrying willow.” A fond smile stretched across her lips. “She was always bitter because I was so much taller than she was, even without heels.” Her smile faltered. “I got the call the next day. One of her friends. There was a cave in. She had seen it first and did what she always did. She shoved them out of the way of the rocks and out of the cave. By the time her friends dug her out, she had suffocated.”_

_“I’m so sorry,” Monk breathed. Ayako gave him a sad smile, but her eyes didn’t leave Mai’s sleeping face. Her usually vibrant cheeks were pale and one side slightly bruised from the fall. Monk could almost imagine Mai in the same situation as Ayako’s sister; she would have reacted just the same: saved her friends before thinking of herself. Sure, the girl was prone to selfishness, but when it came to them, she tried to put them first. Looking at Mai now, in the bed, he knew there was no denying how much she cared._

_“It took me a long time to come to terms with it,” Ayako’s voice pulled his attention away from Mai and back to her. “Admittedly, I was really selfish. I left my parents to stay in one of our retreat houses that just so happened to have a shrine fifteen miles from it. I’d never really care to refine the skills my cinnamon tree had taught me. I only drove by the shrines because she loved them. She loved the atmosphere and the ladies that tended to them. I always thought maybe she had a little of the same ability I did because she always talked about how alive the trees felt. When my sister died, I couldn’t bear the house anymore and threw myself into my training as a priestess…because I knew it would make her proud…” Monk sank down in the chair on the other side of the bed; his heart was so heavy that he felt weighted down. Ayako’s eyes were so sad, so lost in memory. He didn’t dare disturb her, but he thought on her words, on the side of herself she had revealed to him and felt honored._

“Monk?” Mai called. Monk had been staring through her for the past five minutes. Not moving, not even blinking. “You okay?” Finally, he blinked. He looked at her as if dazed and then:

            “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine,” he reassured her. Mai furrowed her brows.

            “Alright, if you say so,” she muttered, unconvinced. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could Ayako came back in. She was pushing a black wheelchair. Mai’s eyes widened.  

            “Monk, help me move her into this,” Ayako announced. “They said I could wash your hair,” she explained, reading Mai’s less than thrilled expression. “But, we have to use a wheelchair and clean your hair in sink. It was the only compromise they would allow since your lung is still healing. They don’t want to risk you reopening it.” Ayako placed her hands on the arms of the wheelchair and leaned into it as she waited for Mai’s response. If the younger girl sat there was no way she was going to get in the wheelchair, then Ayako would relent and roll it back out into the hall. They would think of another way to get her hair clean without her leaving the bed.

            Mai wanted to argue because she didn’t need a wheelchair, but she couldn’t argue with the doctor’s reasoning. Just because she didn’t feel any pain right now didn’t mean that there wasn’t any damage. Mai sighed. She wanted her hair clean more than she wanted to hold onto her pride. _‘See, Naru? I can compromise,’_ she thought sulkily as she nodded her agreement to Ayako’s silent question. “I’ll take it.” Mai agreed, taking a moment to unclip the heart monitor’s clamp from her finger. Monk chuckled as she tossed it onto the bed with a bright smile.

            “Alright, let’s get you moved, Princess,” he teased as he stepped closer to her. He slipped one arm underneath her knees as Ayako moved the IV bag toward them. The other moved just a little higher than her ribs, bracing her back without touching her sides. He was so careful that she hardly felt any pain or even the slightest pressure at her ribs. Ayako and he moved so well together that the IV didn’t pull either. Mai clapped once she was settled down onto the chair.

            “You guys work well together,” she complimented. She was well aware of the double meaning to it and knew by the way Monk and Ayako avoided one another’s gaze that they were too. She smiled cheekily. Ayako ignored her and pushed the IV pole into her hand.

            “Hold this while I push you.”

            “Yes, ma’am.”

            “Monk, can you get my purse?” Ayako asked over her shoulder as she pushed Mai toward the bathroom.

            “Uh, sure,” he agreed as he looked around the room for it. She had set by the nightstand. He grabbed it and immediately grunted in surprise. It was much heavier than he thought it would be. “Wow, what does that woman have in here?” He complained as he followed the girls into the bathroom.

            Running water reached his ears before he even opened the door. Ayako was leaned over, testing the water temperature, and Mai was wheeled back just in front of the sink. “If that sink was any taller, your idea would be a bust,” Monk commented as he passed the purse to Ayako’s free hand.

            “Well, we’re just lucky it isn’t,” she commented as she took it from him. “Now, scoot on out. Mai and I are going to have some girl time.”

            “Ah, I see. I’m being dismissed now that I’ve been your errand boy,” Monk complained teasingly. Ayako glanced up at him from the water and dried her hand with one of the hospital issue towels.

            “That’s right,” Ayako agreed. “So, go…do whatever it is you do on a Thursday night.”

            “Alright, alright,” Monk backed out of the room. He turned his attention to Mai, who was looking entirely too amused. “I’ll see you later, Jou-chan.”

            “See you, Monk.” She lifted a hand to wave him goodbye, but turned her attention back to Ayako as the woman made a quiet “ah ha” noise. Mai’s eyebrows shot up as Ayako pulled a travel kit out from her large purse. It was honestly cute. The majority of the bag was black except for the pale pink lining at the bottom. A small cherry blossom zipper charm broke up the darkness of the top. Ayako grabbed the charm and unzipped the bag; from it, she pulled out a travel sized bottle of shampoo and conditioner. She set them on the counter and set the bag behind her on the closed toilet lid.

           “They’re peach scented,” Ayako informed her as she stepped around to her. “Now, lay your head back until your neck touches the sink.” Despite her instructive words, Ayako guided Mai’s head back until her neck was braced against the sink and her head underneath the faucet. Her hands were gentle and easy. Mai tried not to flinch as the water ran over her forehead and down into her hair. She never did like the sensation.

           “That’s fine,” Mai said, answering Ayako’s unspoken question earlier. “I’m not really picky.” Ayako hummed as she gathered Mai’s hair underneath the stream of water, moving her head gently in each direction to wet the strands equally. Her hands left, the water cut off, and peach scent filled the air as Ayako poured a generous dollop of shampoo into her hand. “Close your eyes.” She returned her hands to Mai’s hair and began to lather.

           “So,” Ayako finally started, “how far did Naru swallow his foot this time?” Mai frowned. Her brows scrunched and her eyelids creased with the force of her displeasure.

           “Pretty far,” she grumbled. “He called me useless, Ayako.”

           “HE DID WHAT?” Ayako boomed, startling Mai. Her nails scrapped a little against her scalp, sending a wave of discomfort down her spine. “Sorry,” Ayako apologized as she felt Mai’s flinch. She messaged the area her nails had scrapped in apology, as she worked lower her heart sank when she found the scab from Mai’s head wound. While it did gross her out to touch, it was also a reminder of Mai’s brush with death—as if their surrounding would allow Ayako to forget. She was careful not to disturb it as she washed around it. 

            “I mean, I get that I put everyone through hell, but…he didn’t have to pick the one thing he knows I’m sensitive about.” Mai sighed.

            “You are probably our most useful member,” Ayako reassured her. “I mean, what does Naru do most of the time? Bark orders and…”

            “Solve what most of our cases deal with?” Mai suggested drily.

            “Not without help. I’ve seen you guide him to the answer with something you’ve said a number of times. Remember Yasuhara’s school? Lin would have likely never figured out what was happening if you hadn’t pointed out that the character was different. And your dreams have helped us solve more cases than his abnormally large brain.”

            “It’s a conjoined effort,” Mai allowed.

            “Mai, you’re making it kind of hard to have girl talk with you if you keep defending him,” Ayako pointed out as she started to rinse the shampoo from Mai’s hair. The younger girl’s lips curved into a rueful smile. 

            “Monk didn’t really allow me to be angry. I think he’s kind of mad at me too.”

            “Monk is a man and he’s been…really close to the situation as we all have. We all took shifts to be with you in case you woke up, but Naru stayed around the clock after your heart failed.” Mai’s eyes popped open just as Ayako cut off the water. “Hey, careful--”

            “WHAT?!” Mai exclaimed, cutting off Ayako’s caution. The redhead’s eyes widened; her hands stilled on their way to the conditioner. _‘Damn it,_ ’ she realized too late.

            “No one told you?” She asked weakly. Mai shook her head, staring up at her with stunned eyes. “I thought Monk…or Naru…would have mentioned--”Ayako fumbled for words as Mai’s surprise faded. She sighed.

            “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” Mai commented finally, closing her eyes again. Ayako didn’t bother hiding her sigh of relief at Mai’s calm. She grabbed the conditioner and filled her hand. “Gene said something about how weak my astral self was…and sounded afraid whenever I told him I couldn’t find my tether.”

            “Tether?” Ayako asked as she returned her conditioner filled hands back to Mai’s strands.

            “The…bind between my astral self or soul and body, I suppose. He didn’t really explain what it was, but I was suspicious…because the longer I looked at it, the brighter and stronger it got until it just stayed a consistent strength. I must have followed it forever. Gene had faded long before I reached the end…” Ayako’s lips pursed as she made the decision to tell Mai was happened in those awful minutes. She dropped her hands away from Mai’s coated hair and braced them on the side of the sink. She waited both for the conditioner to sink into her hair and to centered herself for the news she was about to depart. Her eyes found the wall instead of the young woman as she started to speak.

            “Your heart beat had dropped way below normal and flat lined for a minute. The doctor and his nurses—mostly his nurses—were able to bring you back, but your heart was still weak. They were talking about giving you a shot of stimulant to pick it back up and debating the risks, whenever Masako suddenly called out Gene’s name. She said he had touched you, something like a charge had passed from his hand, and then your heart stabilized.” Ayako finished.

            Mai pursed her lips. She recalled Gene’s hand against hers and the streak of skin tone that had broken up the grey shade her body had taken. It had followed the path his thumb had taken on her skin and vanished the second his hand was off of hers. The charge Masako had mentioned…Mai imagined it had looked a lot like what he had done for her in the astral plane. _‘Does that mean he was sustaining me even in the astral plane?’_ She wondered.  

            “You’ll have to ask him how he did for me.” Ayako’s voice pulled Mai’s attention back. She cut the water on again and began to rinse the conditioner from Mai’s hair. 

            “Yeah,” Mai agreed. “I have the feeling I’m going to have to ask him about a lot,” she muttered; her quiet words were almost lost over the sound of running water. 

 


	7. Apologies and Growth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru talks with Gene and finds the best way to apologize. Mai comes to a sobering realization about her life; and Ayako talks about dating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Ghost Hunt belongs to Fuyumi Ono and Shiho Inada.
> 
> (3/1/2019: I have added new content to the end of the chapter!)

_In the event of—_ Naru sighed and shut his laptop. He had been staring at the screen for what felt like hours. His mind kept _wandering_ uselessly from one frustrating subject to another-Mai and Gene. His eyes once again drifted from the computer screen to the full-length mirror that hung at the back of his bedroom door. Just like all the times before, he was greeted by only his reflection. He thunked his head onto the back of his chair with a quiet sigh.

            _‘Idiot,’_ he thought _, ‘what did you do?’_ It had been a question he had thought many times throughout his rather unproductive evening. He had taken a nap whenever he had arrived back at the apartment, but it had been brief. His mind had been too busy, too curious to allow him to sleep for long. If it wasn’t the memory of Hara’s awestruck whisper of what his brother had done, it was Mai’s eyes as she processed the rather awful words that had been coming out of his mouth.

             Naru didn’t like guilt, so he pushed the latter away and focused on the more curious part of the last four days: Gene’s sudden appearance in the mortal world and his rather perplexing actions. He had tried to contact his twin for answers after his unsatisfying nap, but Gene had been silent. He had stood there for longer than he was proud of, simply calling his twin’s name; each time, he was greeted by his own troubled expression. It had been hours since Mai’s awakening in the hospital and nearly a day before that since Gene had somehow boosted Mai’s heartbeat. Naru wouldn’t put it past his brother to simply be sleeping to avoid his questioning; he’d certainly done that enough before after he’d done something troublesome.

            Yet, that was highly unlikely. This particular incident involved Mai. No matter what Gene had done in the hospital, he would still be worried about her. He would want to know for certain that she was alright. Naru stood from his chair and moved back toward the mirror. This knowledge made Gene’s absence all the more troubling.  

            He stopped just in front of his reflection and raised his hand to the glass. He pressed his palm to the cool surface and splayed his fingers out. “Gene,” he tried again. He studied his appearance to see if it changed; but he was still greeted by the same sour face. “Gene,” he called.

            _“Noll,”_ Gene’s voice sounded weak, but his twin’s appearance started to cover his reflection. The strict hardness of Oliver’s eyes became softer; his mouth which had been held in a deep grimace relaxed and the lips were pulled in a small but warm smile. _“How’s Mai?”_

            “She’s awake.” Oliver answered shortly. ‘ _And probably still really angry.’_ He added to himself quickly, though a nagging part of him whispered that she could be crying. If he were a lesser man, he would have flinched at the thought. Gene tilted his head slightly; he had followed every emotion that moved through his twin’s eyes.

            _“What did you do?”_ Gene asked. Though his tone was light, he knew Oliver could hear the accusation in it. Oliver pursed his lips slightly; the effect looked closer to a grimace than a pout, but was not quiet that either.

            “What do you mean?” He tried to side-step.

            _“Don’t bullshit me, Noll. I’m dead,”_ Oliver truly did flinch now at the reminder, _“not stupid.”_ Gene fought off a sigh at his brother’s reaction; Oliver’s poor coping skills over his death was an issue for another day.

            “Could have fooled me,” Oliver responded sourly, deflecting.

             Gene ignored him, _“you have the look you get when you’ve done something you regret.”_ He pointed out instead.

            “What did you do in the hospital?” Oliver asked. Gene shifted onto one foot and crossed his arms over his chest. His lips pinched together. Oliver rolled his eyes. He would get nothing out of his twin until he answered. Oliver sighed and raised his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. “We got into an argument.”

 _“An argument? Noll, she just woke up!”_ Gene asked with just the right amount of outrage that Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose.

           “I know,” Oliver acknowledged both the accusation he heard in his brother’s tone and the sheer awful timing. “I let my emotions get the better of me.”

 _“I’m surprised you admit that you have them,”_ Gene muttered. His words got no reaction from his brother. Now, it was his turn to talk apparently. _“All I did was give her back the energy she had given me.”_ Oliver gave him a very sharp look, demanding more information now that Gene was talking. Gene sighed. _“The pain she was in was so great that she shoved her soul from her body. I managed to find her before anything more serious could happen to her. She was understandably frightened. So, she asked me to keep her company, but...I think she could sense that I was tired because her fear turned sharper. She grabbed my hands and forced her own energy into me….”_ Oliver watched as his twin’s eyes turned dull with the memory. Gene dropped his arms from his chest and looked down at his hand _. “It was so warm…I had forgotten what that had felt like…warmth.”_ Oliver felt his throat close up as he listened to his twin’s quiet whisper. Gene shook himself. _“But it was a great cost to herself,”_ Gene continued his story; his voice was only slightly strained. _“She needed the energy she gave me…but each time I tried to give it back to her, she would cycle it back into me.”_ Gene frowned. _“I could sense something was wrong whenever I told her to wake up; she couldn’t find her tether, Noll. The link that binds a soul to its body—that separates the living from the dead.”_

          “She died,” Oliver said softly. “Her heart failed.” His eyes darkened.

           Gene studied his twin. To an outsider, Oliver would look composed, put together, but his eyes—the windows to his soul—practically bled emotion. Fear, anger, self-hatred, and hurt—it was all there in his eyes. Mai’s temporary death had wrecked havoc throughout his twin on a more severe level than it had Gene. He sighed. 

 _“I was afraid of that.”_ Gene spoke after a minute had passed. _“I truly thought she was fine whenever I appeared in the hospital room. At most, I figured the energy I passed back to her would simply speed her wakening, but…but when I arrived, I saw that her heart was weak.”_ Gene looked away from him at something Noll couldn’t see. _“So, I gave her all of it.”_

          “All of it?” Oliver repeated.

 _“My energy and hers…”_ Gene admitted quietly. _“Once I had expended it all, I couldn’t hold myself on the astral plane or that of the living. So, I went back to sleep and just woke up to your ugly mug.”_

          “If I’m ugly you are too, idiot,” Oliver argued half-heartedly. His mind kept repeating what Gene had said: he had given some of his energy into Mai. “Do you think your energy will affect her?” Noll asked.

 _“I don’t know,”_ Gene sighed. _“I’ve never shared my energy with anyone before—well, besides you.”_ He pursed his lips and raised a hand to the back of his neck. _“Her wavelength is so similar to mine that it’s possible…but I haven’t the slightest clue how it will affect her.”_ Oliver sighed. He couldn’t offer up any of his own theories either.

           His brother was not like other spirits due to his nature as a perfect medium. Mai’s wavelength was so similar to Gene’s that it was almost guaranteed that something was going to happen. Oliver frowned. He would have to keep an eye on Mai; but, in order to that, she would actually have to be willing to talk to him.

 _“I guess you really are going to have to apologize, huh?”_ Gene teased, following his thoughts as naturally as he had in life; his lips curved into a smile even as Noll’s lips dropped into a deep grimace.

X

            Noll climbed the stairs of the hospital to Mai’s room. His fingers were restlessly tapping against the warm cup of coffee in his hand—not for him but for Mai. His apology. It had taken him way too long to wriggle a suggestion out of Gene that he was comfortable with. Apparently, there was this ridiculously sweet, caramel coffee that Mai fell in love while he was gone. How Gene knew, he hadn’t divulged. Noll simply had to trust that his brother hadn’t lied to him just for his own amusement.

            The line at the coffee shop had been ridiculously long. So many people had tried to pack inside to hide from the cold; so, it was even more cramped and uncomfortable. Noll grimaced and switched the coffee cup into a different hand. The awful experience at the coffee shop was why he had forgone the elevator and chosen the stairs.

            Noll forced himself to slow whenever he reached Mai’s floor. His impatience and bad mood needed time to cool before he interacted with her again. He was supposed to apologize, not further the fight. Noll wasn’t nervous; despite Mai’s quick temper and streak of occasional vengeance, she was more forgiving than he—especially if his apology was sincere. Noll stopped just in front of Mai’s door.

            His apology would be sincere, of course. Though he refused to admit it to anyone but himself: he had been out of line. His words were ill-timed and came from a place of anger. He reached for the knob and opened the door.

            Mai sat up in the bed; a revolting pile of hospital food in front of her. Her face was thoroughly miserable as she poked around the mess with one half of a plastic chopstick. Noll blinked. Mai was alone. He walked farther into the room; her attention was pulled away from the mushy food to him. Her eyes widened at the sight of him. He set the coffee down onto the tray. Her eyes moved to it and lit up slightly, but she did not reach for it. Instead, her gaze returned to him. Their eyes met; Noll didn’t look away.

            “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “What I said was uncalled for. You are far from useless.” Mai smiled slightly.

            “I was angry, at first,” Mai spoke up, “but Monk helped me to see it from your point of view. You had been here the entire time I was in the hospital.” The sudden awkwardness caused by the statement had made eye contact impossible for the moment. Noll felt slightly called out by her words; and he silently cursed Monk for telling her—even if it had helped her to forgive him. Mai needed a moment to cool the slight blush that had taken her cheeks at the knowledge that Naru had cared enough to stay so long. Once her flush was gone, Mai looked back up at Naru. “It doesn’t fully excuse you.” She sighed. “But considering that I was also cruel, I would say that we are even.”

            Naru looked away from her. “You were not unnecessarily cruel,” he disagreed, but spoke no further as he eased himself back into the chair he had spent three days in. Mai blinked. “Lin disagreed with the hitogata, but I persisted and you were injured because of my error.”

            “I should not have accused you of valuing your pride over us,” Mai spoke. “I know you better than that.” _‘Now,_ ’ she added silently. After her statement, a comfortable, thoughtful silence fell over them. Naru simply sat across from her; Mai sipped the coffee he had brought her. She smiled once the sweet concoction touched her tongue. “Thank you,” she finally remembered her manners. “How did you know that this was my favorite?” She asked.

            “Gene,” Naru answered. Mai gave a quiet hum.

            “I’m surprised he remembered that,” she said quietly as she twisted the cup around in her hands. A cheeky smile replaced the small, grateful grin on her lips. “I guess he knew you would need the knowledge one day, eh?” She gave a laugh. “After all, I did tell him that it was instant good mood fuel for me.” Naru gave a quiet hum.

            Before their conversation could continue—read Mai could tease him more—the door opened again to reveal Ayako with a bag of take-out food. Brown eyes widened at the sight of Naru sitting at the side of the bed; her eyes then moved to the cup in her hands and they rolled.

            “I thought I would bring you a reprieve from the terrible mush they serve here, but I see someone beat me to it.” She sniffed.

            “Coffee is not substance,” Naru argued. “I thought you of all people would understand the difference,” he jabbed as he stood. Ayako tightened her grip on the bag and narrowed her eyes at the young man.

            “Why, you!”

            “What’d you bring me?” Mai asked, interjecting before Ayako could swing the food bag at Naru and ruin the food. Ayako cast a dirty look toward Naru and grabbed the tray from the small table. She slid it on the nightstand and opened the bag. She pulled out the first box and set it to the side. The second box she set in front of Mai.

           “It’s just soba noodles and fish, but it has to be better than the food they serve here.” Ayako said, casting a disgusted look at the tray she had moved. Mai grinned.

           “Thanks, Ayako!”

           “You’re welcome, Mai,” Ayako responded as she looked over her shoulder for Naru, but he was no longer there. He must have left while Mai and she were talking. “That little brat is so rude!” Ayako complained as she fell back into the chair Naru had vacated.

           “He apologized,” Mai said. “I wouldn’t dream of asking for more of him.”

           “Oh, I see, so you’re saying asking for basic manners—like a goodbye—is too much of him?” Ayako laughed. Mai smiled, but didn’t bother arguing.

            An apology from Naru was groundbreaking enough, but she refused to tell Ayako that Naru had waved goodbye to her seconds before walking out the door. Well, it wasn’t really a wave—more of a flick of his hand, but she knew it for what it was. Months ago, he wouldn’t have done even that.

            Mai smiled and raised her coffee cup to her lips again. Ayako sighed upon seeing the girl’s smile.

            “And you just forgive him just like that, huh?” She muttered. “He brings you coffee and apologizes and suddenly everything between you is okay.” Ayako shook her head. “I will never understand you.”

             Once Mai had finished her cup, she started on the meal Ayako had brought her. She listened as Ayako told her all about her work day and how some guy in the nursing department decided to ask her out on a date. 

            “Well, are you going?” Mai asked whenever Ayako paused. The redhead shoved a generous helping of noodles into her mouth as a diversion tactic. That was alright, Mai decided, she didn’t need to talk for her to know the answer. It was in the priestess’ eyes.

            She wouldn’t be going because that nurse wasn’t the one she wanted to ask her. Mai sighed. “You can’t put your dating life on hold waiting for the person you want to wake up.” She told her. Ayako glared at Mai as she swallowed down her noodles.

            “You are one to talk. I haven’t seen you dating anyone since-”

            “It’s different for me. I’m a young teenager. I have time. You on the other hand....”

            “I get it,” Ayako spoke through clenched teeth. Mai smiled winningly. “I bring you food and this is the treatment I get,” she sighed.

            “I noticed you didn’t deny that you were waiting for-”

            “That’s enough, Mai,” Ayako interrupted. Her eyes oddly serious. “Who I am waiting for is none of your business.”  

            “So, what does Mr. Nurse look like?” Mai changed the subject.

            The only word Ayako could think of to describe the young man was: “respectful.” Mai blinked. Ayako sighed. “He has short brown hair, light brown eyes, a winning complexion, and a nice smile. He’s always respectful whenever he interacts with me.” She looked at Mai critically before saying, “Aside from the attitude, he looks like he could be your older brother.” Mai wrinkled her nose. Ayako’s lips twitched. “So, Mai, do I have your permission?”

             Mai rolled her eyes. “You don’t need it because I don’t have an older sibling.”      

            “Just checking,” Ayako sang. She dropped her voice back to its normal pitch and said, “really, you should meet this guy. It’s eerie…”

            "Date him and I will," Mai answered. Ayako frowned. 

            "He's not my type," Ayako argued. The younger girl raised her brows. Ayako huffed and looked away. "He's too sweet," she grumbled. "He was stuttering whenever he asked me out for Pete's sake. He's more of a John than a-" She cut herself off. Mai smiled widely, but she didn't dare say what was on her mind. The guy was more of a John than a Monk. She didn't want to push. Ayako sighed. "Anyway, my dating life isn't what I came to talk to you about." 

X

            Once the food was finished and the Styrofoam takeout boxes thrown away, Ayako turned her attention to the secondary reason she had come to visit Mai. “Your doctor called me this morning and rendered my idea for a transfer unnecessary. Apparently, you are going to be discharged tomorrow.” Mai smiled widely. “But,” Ayako cut off her oncoming celebratory shout, “you are going to have to take it easy. Someone is going to have to stay with you in your apartment to make sure nothing goes wrong. He said he would be by to let you know today, but I see he is taking his sweet time in coming to your room.”

            “Ayako, don’t you think you are being a little harsh on him? I mean, he does have other patients…and if he thinks that I am in the clear, then why wouldn’t he save me for later in the day? I’m sure you do the same thing at your hospital…” Mai inquired logically. Ayako sighed.

            “It’s different because it’s you,” she admitted. Mai’s eyes widened; a small blush rose up to her cheeks. Ayako looked away from her. “I don’t doubt that the others feel the same way.” Ayako’s voice dropped to an embarrassed whisper, “you’re not alone anymore. You have people that will look out for you now.”

            Mai looked down at her hands and tried to ignore the way her eyes stung and the heat in her cheeks. _‘I’m really not alone anymore, am I?_ ’ She pondered. It was something she had thought in passing once-before Naru had found his brother’s body and revealed his true identity to them-and then didn’t think of again; but her little makeshift family had never left her. Even Naru and Lin hadn’t truly gone away, there was always the promise that they would return. The office stayed open after all. She truly wasn’t alone anymore.

            Yet, despite that, she had been continued living as if she were. Whenever she had problems in her apartment or at school, she never called on anyone to help her. She handled it all on her own—just like she always had. She had continued to shut those who loved her out of her problems because it was her problem, not theirs. She didn't lean on them or let them help. Worse still, she rushed into situations that were obviously dangerous. She doubted that would change, but she often did so without consulting anyone that could help her. It was a decision she made on her own. After all, what was her life compared to theirs? But that question was wrong. Ayako told her so. Monk told her so. And even Naru had told her so.

            Her reasoning didn't matter. Her argument that they were in danger, while true, held little weight. Their job description practically highlighted danger in red letters. She had only thought of their safety; and, in doing so, she had hurt them. This wasn't the first time she had hurt them with her lack of thought; she had done this so many times that she knew what their reactions would be by now. Mai bit into her bottom lip. Monk’s brown eyes clouded with lingering fear and overpowering worry; Ayako’s feather light touches as she cleaned her hair; Noll’s stinging reprimand that hid his fear flicked through her mind. _Value yourself more_ seemed to be the underlying message in everything they said or did. 

            Mai glanced up at Ayako through her bangs. The woman was picking at her nails now; a blush similar to Mai’s was on her cheeks. Mai decided. She would stop living as if she were going to be alone again and start considering the people that cared for her. She would learn how to value herself if not on the same level, then near the level that she valued them. 

            “Well,” Ayako said suddenly, “I need to go.” She dismissed herself, rubbing her hands on her knees as she stood. The current silence in the room was heavy with charged emotion; and Ayako could feel it affecting her. If she stayed, she was going to do something like hug Mai and threaten to tie her in a padded room so she couldn't be hurt anymore. “An old client of mine called me this morning and she wants me to check on the sacred tree at her shrine again." 

            “Oh, sounds interesting," Mai fibbed. That particular part of Ayako's job sounded as interesting as watching paint dry. Ayako smiled.

            “I’ll bring you a change of clothes whenever I come to pick you up tomorrow until then you take care of yourself.”

            “Wait,” Mai called back before Ayako could walk away. “Don’t you need the key to my apartment?” She asked. Ayako turned back around sheepishly.

            “Yeah, I suppose I do.” She muttered. Mai pointed to her bag in the corner of the room.

            “The keys are clipped to the zipper," she said. "It’s the one on the same ring as the butterfly.”

            “Right,” Ayako muttered as she removed the key chain. "You got any requests?" She asked as she turned around the face Mai. 

            "Um, comfy clothes? Most of my sweats are kept in the bottom drawer of my dresser. Bigger t-shirts are kept in the second drawer to the very left." She said. 

            "Is this your way to telling me not to snoop?" Ayako asked cheekily.

            "As if that alone could stop you." 

X

             Mai’s apartment was in a relatively busy part of town, close to her school. It was sitting at the end of a strip of buildings and looked to be four stories. Ayako pulled open the front door and faced the lobby of the apartment building. Her immediate impression was that it wasn’t an accommodation she would have sought out if she had no other choice. It wasn’t ugly or rundown, per say, but Ayako was used to her luxury apartment. This apartment building was…quaint and had a slight charm in its old fashioned lobby. The floor was plain, dark wood; the walls were painted a simple white color. 

             It was sparsely decorated. There was a couch in the corner of the room, a small coffee table in front of it, and no television. A standing lamp sat beside the couch and a wall light was mounted over it. Medium sized ferns were the only plants in the room. An archway tucked in the corner of the lobby divided it from what looked a staircase alcove. To the left of the front door was a glass paneled door that gave her a nice view of inside. An elderly woman sat at the desk, typing away at a computer.  

             “Excuse me,” Ayako announced as she stepped over and tapped on the frame of the glass door. The woman looked away from the computer monitor and raised one penciled on brow. Her wire glasses fell down her nose an inch. She raised a bony finger and pushed them up her nose.

                “Yes?” She asked. Her beady brown eyes looked Ayako up and down; the pencil brow raised higher. Ayako tried not to take offense by her tone or attitude.

                “I was wondering what apartment Mai Taniyama lived in?” In her haste to escape the heavy feelings in the hospital room, Ayako had forgotten to ask the girl her apartment number; and Mai had not offered it.

                “Who are you to be asking?” The woman demanded. Ayako shifted onto one foot and put a hand on her hip. _‘You’re pushing it, lady.’_ She thought in aggravation. Ayako didn’t miss the flash of protectiveness in the elderly woman’s eyes. It was the only thing that helped her reign in her temper. Ayako held up Mai’s keys.

                “My name is Matsuzaki Ayako,” she introduced herself. “I work with Mai. She’s currently in the hospital being treated and needs a new pair of clothes. She’s being discharged tomorrow. I’ll be staying with her for a few weeks due to the nature of her injuries.” As Ayako talked, the woman pushed away from the desk and stood up. Ayako moved away from the door to allow her past. At the door, the woman met her eyes and seemed to size her up. Ayako leaned back, unnerved by the intensity of the elderly woman. Ayako felt her eyebrow twitch when she sniffed and moved past her.  

                “She lives in Apartment 204, on the second floor.” Ayako followed the smaller woman, making sure to keep far enough back so that she wouldn’t step on her with her longer legs. She had been right about the archway. The first set of stairs was a few feet from the archway; and stairs upon stairs lead upward in a square. No wheelchair ramps in sight. 

 _‘Stairs it is then,_ ’ Ayako sighed. ‘ _Monk is not going to like having to carry her. I can just hear him now, complaining about his back.’_ She smiled. _‘The idiot.’_ The slow moving landlady thankfully stopped at the edge base of the stairs. She rested a thin hand on the banister and looked over at Ayako.

               “I hope Taniyama heals well,” was all she said before walking away. _‘And you leave quickly,’_ Ayako heard the silent additive.

               “Nice lady,” Ayako muttered underneath her breath as she started up the stairs. Her heels clicked against the wooden steps as she walked upward. She stopped on the landing between the stairs and looked out onto the first floor. A hallway separated two lanes of apartments; it was well lit by wall lights. 200 was across from 201; 201 and 203 were neighbors. “200, 201, 202, 203, 204.” Mai’s apartment was in the middle of the hall. She slid the key into the deadbolt lock that served as Mai’s security and twisted. She braced herself as she opened the door. She recalled what she had been like as a teen; and she didn’t want to walk into the mess unprepared. _‘At least, there isn’t anything blocking the door.’_ She thought in relief; but once the door was fully open, she was taken aback. “It’s clean.” She said, stunned.

                While it was a bit bare, it was clean. Ayako walked further into the apartment and hung her keys on the hook by the door. She slipped off her shoes in the entryway as she surveyed the room in front of her. The floor was the same wood. The walls were painted an off-white like the lobby; there were few personal pictures on the walls. Mai didn’t have a television or an entertainment center. She did however have one bookshelf filled to capacity pushed in one corner of the room. In the other sat a small loveseat, an end table, and a standing lamp. Black-out curtains hung over her windows.

                To the right of the door was a tiny kitchen. It too was clean, except for the clean dishes that remained in the strainer. Out of curiosity, Ayako walked over and opened the fridge. Juice, milk, pickles, eggs, cheese, a few sticks of unsalted butter, and a few other condiments were all that it held. The pantry only held dried noodles and ramen cups. Ayako sighed. She would have to go shopping.

                She closed the door and moved to check out the rest of the apartment. It was a one bedroom, one bathroom apartment. Ayako stopped in front of Mai’s bedroom; the door had been left open. Mai’s twin bed was pushed into the corner of the room, away from the only window in the room. A five drawer dresser was pushed in the opposite corner. Ayako went to it and opened the drawers Mai had clearly instructed she look in. The sweatpants she pulled out were faded from many washes and the draw strings had a small knot hanging from each end to keep them from slipping through their respective holes. They looked too big for Mai, but that truly wasn’t unusual. Much of Mai’s clothes seemed to be ill-fitting. The t-shirt she pulled out of the second drawer was clearly a man’s T-shirt. Ayako draped it over her arm along with the sweatpants.

                Ayako sighed. Underwear. That was something Mai clearly didn’t think of whenever giving her instructions. She opened the first drawer to see her underwear. Mai wouldn’t be able to wear a bra for a little while; the pressure would only aggravate her ribs. Ayako pulled out the first pair of panties she saw and stuffed them between the shirt and sweatpants. She closed the drawer and moved to her closet. Maybe there was a spare bag that Ayako could use.

                The closet horrified the rich girl fashionista in her. It was practically bare except for a few skirts, school uniforms (which barely qualified as clothing in Ayako’s opinion), two nice blouses, and _one_ dress. A small shoe rack clearly held all of the shoes Mai had: a pair of old, smudged, black kitten heels and a pair of tennis shoes. There was an empty place where Mai’s flats must have gone. In the very corner of the top shelf closet looked to be a bag. Ayako rose up onto her tiptoes and hooked her finger into the strap. She pulled it down and gasped as it overweighed and collapsed onto her toe. Curses spilled from her mouth as she jerked her foot out from underneath it. “What the…”

                Now that the bag was down, Ayako could see just how big it truly was. It was a medium sized bag and the sides were bulging. It was a simple fabric, light blue, cross-body flap bag. Curiosity pushed the ache in her toe to the back of her mind as she stooped down and lifted it by its thick strap. She carried the heavy bag over to Mai’s bed and opened it.

                The contents only furthered her curiosity. On the top of the contents was a nice leather photo album. Ayako took it out and opened it. There on the first page was a charming couple dressed in wedding attire and standing in front of a five tier cake. A closer look revealed who they were. Mai had her mother’s eyes and her nose, but she certainly had her father’s lips and hair color. A turn of the page revealed the woman and man again. They were standing in front of a two story house; both were smiling proudly. He was holding her closely to him; one hand was on her developing belly. A purse was stretched across her chest and dangled down near her hip—light blue in color, medium sized, and flap topped. It was an exact match to the one sitting on Mai’s bed.

               “Oh, Mai…” Ayako whispered as she let the album fall closed. Suddenly, Ayako felt as though she were intruding. As she tucked the album back into the bag, she caught sight of some of the other contents: an aged brown wallet, a set of plain keys, a pocket flip notebook, and a pen. Ayako zipped the bag back up and put it back where she had found it.

                Ayako was no stranger to keeping a loved ones’ items as a way to remember them. Her own mother and father had left her sister’s room exactly as it had been. Her mother tended to the room as if Akira was just going to walk back through the front door; her father threw himself into his work at the hospital to forget the pain; and Ayako had isolated herself. Like she had told Monk, she had thrown herself into her training as a priestess and learned everything she could; but, at night in that silent cabin, she would replay memory after memory. _Had she been a good sister? Had Akira known she was loved by her? Why didn’t she just tell her sister she felt the cave was too dangerous and not to go?_ At night, the questions tortured her.

               Some many people in the makeshift family she had found had lost someone. Lin and Naru had lost Gene; Mai had lost both of her parents. It was slightly amusing, in a sad kind of way, that they all four dealt with the loss by silence. Ayako had found it was easier to just tell people she was an only child; answering that pity filled question of _“oh, what happened to her?”_ made her feel sick each time.

 _‘Yet,’_ Ayako realized, _‘I told Monk.’_ More than that, Ayako had poured her grief out for him to see. Before that moment, she hadn’t spoken of her sister’s accident in years. He hadn’t pitied her or made her feel weak for talking about it. Monk-no, Houshou had simply listened and offered his sincerity. By his voice alone, she could tell that he had hurt for her. _‘He’s a good man…’_ Ayako thought warmly. Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud chime from her phone. The alarm she had set on her phone to remind her of her appointment sounded throughout the small apartment. _‘But enough about him. I need to finish up here or else I’m going to miss my appointment!_ ’


	8. Corners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ayako comes to the realization of her feelings for a certain co-worker; and Naru realizes that someone went over his head. Both find themselves back into a corner of their own making.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Ghost Hunt belongs to Fuyumi Ono and Shiho Inada.

                “Mai, tea,” came from the office adjacent to his. Lin paused in his typing and raised his eyebrows. Buried deep in his work, Noll had forgotten that his more extroverted assistant was not here. He heard a sigh and then the squeak of the office wheels as they rolled back against the carpet. Lin tuned him out once more, but his mind had trouble returning to his work.

                When he had come to the office this morning, he had hoped that the air would be less oppressive; but it was clear that he had gotten used to Mai’s lively presence in the office just as Noll had. If it felt like something was missing to Lin, then it knew it must be worse for Noll. 

                Despite his rather apathetic demeanor and attitude, Noll cared deeply once someone wiggled into his circle. Lin had feared after they lost Gene that Oliver would shut the world away and become focused on finding Gene to the point of self-destruction; but then Mai had broken a camera and almost his skull with a bookshelf. Despite the lies and misconceptions, over time, the two had developed a genuine bond. Because of her, Noll started to care once more for something other than his self-appointed mission. Mai had sparked more than just Noll’s attention; she had burned away some of apathy for life. Slowly, she had pulled Noll back into the world of the living. Lin knew, just for that alone, the Davis matriarch and patriarch would love her.

               He had seen the depth of the bond they had forged whenever he had dropped off food and clothes for Noll after Mai’s heart failure. The usual composed boy hadn’t bothered to hide his unease. Noll’s face had been so white and his hands unsteady as he reached almost blindly for what Lin had offered. The realization of what it would do to do Noll to lose Mai sank like a stone in Lin’s stomach then.

               Lin promised Luella and Martin that he would look out for their son while in Japan; and he had every intention of doing so. It was this promise, Noll’s reaction to almost losing Mai, and his own concern for the girl that had prompted him to make the phone call that should have been made long ago. Any hour now, the phone in Noll’s office would ring. It would be Martin or Luella, depending on who received his message first.

              Normally, he would never go over Oliver’s head; but the boy was too stubborn when it came to Mai. It was almost as if he wanted to keep her for himself, not let his father interact with the budding psychic; or maybe it was pride. Lin wasn’t sure. Whatever the reason, it kept the boy from admitting that he was in over his head. Lin ran through the list of Mai’s known abilities in his head: abnormal levels of intuition, astral projection, post-cognitive dreams, more frequent telepathic visions, and the ability to cleanse. Since their return, however, Mai had shown possible psychometry and some traits of a medium. While it was true that some of her abilities were linked, Mai still possessed an unprecedented amount of psychic power. The same excuses Noll had given for not having Mai part of that team in the kitchen had been all of the reasons Lin had called Martin. She was an untrained physic with an unusually bright presence on the spiritual plane; her sense of duty and justice outweighed her self-preservation; and she valued her team more than she valued herself. All of these traits, while not necessarily bad, made for a dangerous cocktail in one with so little training.

                _‘Oliver has proved that he cares too much. His need to protect her overshadowed his common sense and deafened him to any consul I gave. It needed to be done—both for her and for him.’_

X

                Mai fumed from the seat of her wheelchair as Monk pushed her along the hallway of the hospital. She was unknowingly portraying perfectly the picture of a pouty teen. It was all Monk could do to keep from laughing. Her arms were crossed over her chest; her eyes were fixed on the bag in her lap; and her lips were slightly protruding in a grimace. He grinned _. ‘I wonder when she’ll break,’_ he thought. Mai had been silent since the doctor had told her she wouldn’t be able to use crutches for another week—especially after the stunt she had pulled.  

               “I don’t see why I can’t use crutches.” She finally grumbled, sounding as petulant as her age group was known to be. Not for the first time since Mai’s accident, Monk felt like calling his mother and apologizing; surely, he hadn’t been this bad. _‘No,’_ he admitted to himself, _‘I imagine I was worse.’_

                “You punctured a lung, Mai. Just humor us, okay?” He said. Mai rolled her eyes, but didn’t offer any more complaints. He had discovered that she was a frustrating patient. She took the doctor’s orders as a suggestion instead of law. For the last leg of her hospital stay, she had frustrated doctors, nurses, Monk, and Ayako. Mai slumped down in the chair. “It’s not like we don’t get it,” Monk said suddenly. “You’re used to your independence, having that robbed from you is very frustrating; but this sentence to the chair will be longer if you keep disobeying the doctors. It’s about trust.” Mai huffed.

                Monk had been saying that frequently ever since he found out Mai had “strained herself” according to the irritated nurse. All she had done was get out of bed by herself! Granted, she had learned from it. The pain that had shot through her ribs had her grabbing the call button immediately. The panicked nurse had found her slumped at the edge of the bed, tears streaming down her face. Once the woman was certain she was okay, she had gotten lectured by both the nurse and the doctor; once Monk and Ayako got there, they had been lectured her as well. _‘All I had wanted to do was go to the bathroom…’_ Her reason hadn’t mattered. Monk had practically taken up residence in the chair across from her bed and traded shifts with Ayako until the doctors cleared her discharge.

                Ayako had left an hour before she had been discharged, claiming that she needed to restock her fridge and get some other things. She had even cited that she needed the hour to get all of it. Mai sighed. A part of her was excited and grateful to have a roommate for the next few weeks, but the larger part was more than a little irritated. She understood the need, of course. Her ankle and wrist were broken; and her ribs were going to be tender for a few more weeks. She was going to be limited in the things she could do. The irritation was caused by, well, Ayako.

               Mai adored the woman, but she was a little more than high maintenance. She knew it wouldn’t be long before Ayako complained about having to sleep on the couch or on a bed roll in her living room, lack of entertainment, and sharing a bathroom. Mai sighed. She wasn’t allowed to go to school or work until the tenderness in her ribs faded. Even if the doctor hadn’t ordered her absence, Naru had jumped on board the Overprotectiveness Train again and banned her from returning to work until the doctor cleared her for it. All of this meant she had no escape. Mai slumped down into the chair and hissed as the simple bending of her waist caused the pain to flare once more.

               “Alright?” Monk asked, reminding her of his presence as he slowed the wheelchair to a stop in front of the doors of the hospital.

               “I’m going to go insane by the end of the week,” Mai told him matter-of-factly. Monk didn’t bother smothering his laugh.

               “Come on now, I’m sure Ayako won’t be that bad.”

               “You live with her then.” Mai grumbled. “I’ll take your house. I’m sure I could recover just as well there…”

               “Um…ah, that’s not…” Monk gave an awkward cough. “Oh, look, there’s John with the car!” Mai grinned at his albeit correct avoidance. Even though his arm was still broken, John had been sent to get the car while Monk pushed her. Mai watched the car slowly approach now. She could see John’s face through the window and wanted to laugh; his boyish features were set in a look that screamed just driving this small piece was taking all of his concentration. He made it underneath the small overhang in front of the hospital, put the car in park, and jumped out almost immediately. Mai smiled at him.

              “You did great!” She complimented as he hurried around and opened the back passenger door. Monk wheeled her toward it.

              “Thanks, Mai,” John said as he held open the door. “Everything is a little more challenging, but I’m learning. Although,” he added sheepishly, “I made quite a mess of myself this morning trying to shave.” Monk laughed as he helped Mai from the wheelchair, allowing her to balance on one foot once out of the wheelchair. 

              “You might wanna leave off that part of your morning routine, John,” Monk said as Mai grabbed ahold of the handle in the roof of the car. She felt the pressure of the wheelchair’s rim leave the back of her legs. She looked over her shoulder to see Monk collapsing it as he spoke. “It would be shame for you to scar that pretty face.”

              John gave a rueful sigh. She turned her attention back to attempting to get in the car without banging either of her casts against it or straining her ribs. Getting her right leg in was easy; it was getting the cast that was her left leg into the car that would cause problems. “I suppose you’re right,” John spoke as Monk popped open the boot of the car, “but the children have trouble recognizing me whenever I get scruffy.”

             “I doubt that, John,” Mai laughed, even though the action hurt just a little. “There’s no mistaking you even with a beard.” John blushed brightly and avoided looking at her; and there was a loud bang and cussing from the trunk as Monk raised up into the hard top. Mai rolled her eyes as she pulled her casted leg over into the cab. The bulky cast was difficult to maneuver into the space between her seat and the passenger seat. John, bless him, put aside his embarrassment and moved to adjust the passenger seat once he saw she was issues. Monk took over holding open the door. “How many blonde, blue eyed priests his age are there in this part of Japan?”

             “Oh,” Monk laughed as he understood. “I thought you were hitting on the priest!”

             “That’s your loneliness trying to create romantic connections where none exist,” Mai deadpanned as she pulled the door out of his grasp and closed it.

             “Hey!” Monk protested through the glass. John, now in the passenger seat, laughed.

             “You shouldn’t talk like that, Mai. It makes you sound like Naru,” John told her.

             “Yeah, you actually sounded intelligent,” Monk countered as he slid into the driver’s seat. Mai stuck her tongue out at him as he pulled the stick out of park and started away from the hospital. Conversation then turned to John’s newest work within the community. He was talking with the church to start up a soup kitchen. The number of homeless in the city around the church had picked up, since it was winter, he wanted to provide them with some place warm to go. So far, the pastor had agreed as long as a group of volunteers would stay at the church at all times.

             “I told him that was fine. I could gather up enough people, I’m sure…” John trailed off as he saw Mai’s face through the mirror. His cheeks reddened at the awe in her eyes. She was smiling proudly at him. His cheeks flushed deeper. “You alright?” He asked, looking away from her. Beside him, Monk’s shoulders were shaking.

             Monk had no doubt about what Mai was about to say. John’s impassioned speech for the care of the homeless and Mai’s own bleeding heart made the answer obvious. She would want to help. Of course, the moment John started talking about his cause, Monk knew she would. He also knew that the rest of SPR would likely be talked into helping as well. They would likely end up being the group to stay in the church while the soup kitchen was going on.

            “I want to help!” Mai announced cheerfully. “No matter the reason they are on the streets, they shouldn’t have to freeze to death. It’s supposed to get colder, after all.” Mai said, impassioned. “And I bet a good bowl of soup will go a long way!”

            “We would be better off to have your help, but not until your ribs heal,” John reminded her with a warm smile.

            “Yeah,” Mai huffed with a roll of her eyes. How many more times would she be reminded of her ribs?! “Probably need to wait. I’d hate to spill soup all over them.”  

            “To be fair,” Monk spoke up, “you are liable to do that anyway.”

            “Oh, do shut up.”  

X

                Ayako’s mind raced as she packed away the groceries. She had bought more than she needed. She had momentarily forgotten that she wasn’t stocking her own fridge or pantry—which were both notably larger than Mai’s. “Oh well,” she said quietly, “at least, we’ll have plenty of food.”

                They had sat down before Mai was discharged and made a list. Ayako had found most of everything on it. She had also picked up enough ingredients to make oden; she didn’t know if Mai liked it, but she knew the weather certainly suited it. Just as she was packing the last item away, she heard a yelp from downstairs.

                “Monk! I can walk!” Mai’s outraged cry echoed from the first floor.    

                “Not with that cast on, you can’t,” Ayako muttered as she moved toward the front door. She wasn’t going to miss the sight of Monk carting Mai up the stairs. She opened the door and walked down the hallway so she could watch.

                Monk had one hand underneath Mai’s knees and the other arm bracing her back as he carried her bridal style up the stairs. Her body was straight enough that her ribs weren’t being pinched; and her face was positively mulish. The heavy cast kept slipping down his hand; and Mai made no effort to make it easier on him. One elbow was driven into his ribs as she crossed her arms over her chest. Monk was doing a good job to hide his discomfort, but Ayako could tell he was getting irritated.

                “Mai, help me out a little here,” Monk complained; his voice sounded strained. Ayako could see John following along behind him, as if ready to catch the larger man if he began to tip backwards. While Ayako got amusement out of watching Monk struggle, she wouldn’t enjoy it if they had to take another hospital trip. “You can’t walk up the stairs in that cast. You’ll hurt your foot.”

                “Then get me crutches!” Mai argued, like the petulant teenager she could be sometimes. Always so determined to handle things herself, no matter how badly it could harm her to face it alone.  

                “Not until your rib heals.” Monk argued.

                “You’re being irrational! Are you going to come carry me up and down the stairs each time I need to leave?!” Mai pointed out, throwing her hands up then flinching. Ayako sighed. She had known Mai wasn’t going to make this easy on them, but the girl was proving now just how difficult she could be. They were going to have their hands full over the next few weeks. Ayako chewed her bottom lip. Maybe she should have tried harder to convince Mai to stay with her? Her apartment was on the first floor, had two bedrooms, and was notably more comfortable than this one. Her guest room was even fully furnished. It certainly would have been easier for Mai to move around; but the girl had persisted and even made sense. Mai would have to travel longer to get to school if she stayed with Ayako; the casts would make travel more difficult. At least once her ribs healed, she could use crutches. So, getting to school would be easier. Ayako had caved. As she watched Monk’s face as he carried her up the stairs, she slightly regretted it. Mai made a good point. Monk couldn’t be here twenty-four seven; Ayako certainly wasn’t strong enough to carry Mai up and down the stairs.  

                “If I have to,” Monk answered with steel in his voice. His amber eyes flicked up to where she stood on the landing. Though she could see his irritation with the fact she was watching him struggle, she could also see the clear order in his eyes. Ayako felt some of her anxiety melt away at the determination in Monk’s voice. _‘That’s right…’_ She thought. When it came to Mai, Ayako had discovered Monk and she made one hell of a team; and it wasn’t just them looking out for her. Mai had the rest of the team at SPR. She was surrounded on all sides by people who were willing to fight for her—even if it was against her own wishes.

                 They were almost a few steps from where she stood now. Despite the added weight, Monk was still moving with the same pace he usually did. His steps were simply more careful as he couldn’t see his feet.

                “I’m surprised you can carry her, old man,” Ayako teased as Monk maneuvered Mai carefully around the bin. Ayako stepped back as her cast swung around coming close to colliding with Ayako’s shoulder in the small space. “Doesn’t that hurt your back?” She shot over her shoulder as she led the men to Mai’s apartment.

                “He brought it on himself if it does,” Mai grumbled sourly from his arms. She yelped as Monk lifted her higher. Her hands shot out of their crossed position and found his shoulders. Once she realized he wasn’t going to drop her, she drove her cast into his thigh. He hissed, but didn’t stumble; instead, he glared down at her. Mai glared right back.

                Once in the apartment, he sat Mai down on the loveseat and made a show of straightening with a groan. Ayako’s eyebrows raised as she heard the cracks of his back all the way from front door. John winced sympathetically beside her. “Do me a favor and get her a wheelchair from the bottom of the stairs. This old man needs to rest.” He sighed as he collapsed down beside her. Ayako frowned.

                “You’re younger than me,” Ayako protested. “And I’m wearing heels!”

                “What was that, wee lass? I couldn’t hear you. ‘Fraid I left my hearing aids at home.” Monk retaliated; he cupped his ear with his hand and leaned his head a little closer to her.

                “I said-”

                “HUH?! You’ll have to talk louder!” Ayako’s frowned deepened. Mai giggled. Her irritation with Monk forgotten in the face of his usual teasing of Ayako.   

                “Fine,” Ayako growled as she turned on her heel and walked out the door. The door closed to the sounds of laughter. Out on the stairs, Ayako sighed and let a smile form. _‘Kami, I love that man.’_

                 She froze promptly on the step. “Excuse me?!” She exploded as she grabbed the railing. Certainly, she hadn’t just thought that! That _man_ was Monk, Houshou Takigawa, the pain in her ass since day one! There was no way she loved him!

                 Yet, she had felt it just a few seconds ago. The familiar stirring of her heart whenever he did something sweet for Mai or for her. Oh! Now that she was aware, she could see all the little signs that she cared for him deeply. The headiness of the fear that threatened to choke her whenever he was danger; the rush of dizzy emotion whenever he looked at her with such softness and care; the breathlessness she felt whenever he did something that was so purely him: all the signs were there. Whenever he felt strongly for something, she was moved by it. He was so wholly involved in everything he did that it left her charmed. She thumped her head down on the railing.

                 “I don’t need this,” she whined. Their relationship was complicated enough without adding _feelings_ into the mix; but judging by her memory, feelings had already been added. She had argued with him, but she _had been_ jealous at the attention he had gotten in this last case. She had wanted to reach across that dining room table and smack her for touching him in such a familiar way; if he hadn’t been trying to politely redirect her attention or get away from that harlot’s wandering hands, Ayako was certain she would have. How had she not realized it sooner?

                “Are you alright?” She heard a young, unfamiliar voice. She lifted her throbbing forehead off of the railing to see a young man in a school uniform. The wheelchair she was sent to retrieve was under one arm. He followed her gaze and laughed. “Found it at the bottom of the stairs. Naturally, I was hoping for a miracle, but it was more likely that someone forgot it.”

               “Um, yeah.” Ayako started. “That would be me. Or rather that man,” she muttered. The boy extended the wheelchair to her. Ayako took it. “Thank you for bringing it up.”

             “If you don’t mind me asking, who’s it for?” He asked. Ayako was about to snap at him to mind his own business when she realized that was likely one of Mai’s neighbors. He had gone out of his way to collapse and carry a wheelchair up the stairs despite not knowing who needed it. Maybe he would be willing to help Mai when one of them wasn’t there.

             “Mai Taniyama. I’m staying with her for a few weeks.” The young man frowned at the name.

             “I swear that girl comes in with more bumps and bruises every day.”

             “You know her?” Ayako asked. Her eyebrows climbed her forehead. Mai never mentioned a friend outside of the two girls they had met. Maybe Naru had competition? The boy laughed and motioned to his uniform.

            “We’re classmates and neighbors, of course I know her.” He answered as he walked with her back up the stairs. “I’m Masaomi.” He introduced himself informally. “I live in 201. Honestly, Mai’s apartment was going to be my first stop whenever I saw the wheelchair.” Ayako couldn’t help but laugh at the boy’s statement. She opened the apartment door and saw the moment the two on the couch realized she had company. She avoided looking at Monk; her new realization about him was too fresh for that kind of confidence; and looked instead at Mai. Her eyebrows had shot up into her bangs at the sight of the young man beside her.

            “Masaomi-senapi!” She exclaimed. Masaomi smiled at her. It was a charming smile and did wonders for his face. The boy wasn’t ugly by any stretch of the word, but one tended to redefine handsome after working with the men Ayako did. 

                “Yo!” He greeted Mai with equal warmth as he stepped into the apartment behind Ayako. “We have got to stop encountering one another like this,” he teased her as he strolled over to where she sat on the couch. Mai stuck her tongue out at him. Ayako watched them unashamedly as she unfolded the wheelchair and pushed it toward Mai on the couch. 

                “You’re in my apartment, doofus,” Mai shot back, kicking out at him with her non-injured leg once he was close enough.

                “And yet I am only here because you’ve once again injured yourself at work.” He teased as he dodged her foot with ease and stepped out of the incoming chair's way. Monk and Ayako shared a look as the two squabbled good-naturedly. Reading the silent question on Ayako’s face, Monk shook his head. Ayako sighed. Mai had never mentioned the boy to either of them. Ayako locked the wheels of the chair into place as took a seat on the arm of the loveseat next to Monk. 

                “So, Mai, how do you two know one another?” Monk asked. Mai and Masaomi broke conversation almost immediately.

                “He’s an upperclassman at school. I helped him to find an apartment,” Mai explained shortly. “We’re friends,” she added with a shrug. Monk had been watching the boy ever since Mai began speaking and it was clear by the slump of his shoulders whenever Mai said “friends” that he wanted to be more. _‘Oh, tough luck,’_ Monk thought sympathetically.

                “That was…suspiciously short,” Ayako spoke up. Monk refrained from pointing out that it usually was whenever Mai talked about herself. Mai once again shared a look with Masaomi. There was more to the story than what Mai told; and Monk knew Ayako was going to push. The young man gave a sigh.

                “I have a crush on her,” he said boldly. Ayako’s eyes widened; and Monk silently congratulated him on his courage, but noted that it didn’t look like news to Mai. In fact, she looked away from Masaomi and down at the floor. Guilt plainly visible in her expression. ‘ _So, they’d already talked about it,’_ Monk thought. _‘Oh, really tough luck, man.’_ “I asked her on a date; she rejected me. We’re still friends.” After his admission, the room felt incredibly awkward. He sighed. “Anyway, I can’t really stay and chat much longer; I have to get to work.”

                “Oh, good luck!” Mai wished him, shaking off the guilt she must have felt. Masaomi smiled and thanked her before dismissing himself from their company. Once he was out the door, Mai glared at Ayako. The redhead held up her hands sheepishly.

                “I was just making a comment. He volunteered that information all on his own!” Ayako protested. Mai looked away from her and sighed.

                “I know he did. It’s just makes things awkward, you know?” Mai muttered. Monk looked down. Feelings tended to complicate things; Monk glanced at Ayako out of the corner of his eye. He knew firsthand how true that was.

                “Yeah,” Ayako muttered. “Feelings tend to do that.” She unconsciously reflected Monk’s own thoughts. Mai’s head snapped back over to her at the statement. It was half-murmured so it had been a little difficult to hear. At first, she had thought Ayako was teasing her or making fun of Masaomi; but then, she saw Ayako’s face. It was contemplative, worried. Mai’s brows furrowed and looked to Monk. He was wearing the same expression. Mai tilted her head. _‘What did I miss?’_ She wondered.

                “Well,” Monk said, suddenly vaulting to his feet. “I’ve got a gig in an hour so I’d best be going too.” He reached down and ruffled Mai’s hair. “You be good, okay, kid?” Mai swatted his hand away from her hair.

                “Yeah, yeah,” she grumbled. She tried for annoyed, but it was ruined by the grin on her lips. Monk smiled down at her and then turned to Ayako, who finally looked at him now that he was leaving.

                “Call me if you need to,” he told her. She nodded and stepped to the side as he got closer.   

                “I’m sure us damsels will be fine without you,” Ayako said drily. Monk grinned.  

                “Don’t I know it,” he said quietly. A flush spread across Ayako’s cheeks at the soft, almost compliment he paid. Thankfully, he didn’t see it as he walked past her and to the front door. She turned around as he turned the door handle. “Still, if you need any dragons slayed, you know how to get ahold of me,” he cheeked as he slipped out the front door. Before Ayako could reply, he was closing it.

                “What was that about?” Mai asked. Ayako tensed. The clock on the wall said it was close to dinner time. So, she ignored Mai’s question in favor of one of her own.

                “What do you want for dinner?”

                “Ayako.” Mai wasn’t going to let her wriggle away that easily. She had seen the blush. The redhead refused to look at her; instead, she began pulling ingredients out of the fridge at an alarming rate.

                “I guess I’ll just do oden. You fine with oden?” Ayako asked, still not looking at the younger girl.

                “Oden is fine,” Mai caved. She would ask again later if Ayako didn’t offer it up on her own.

X

                Oliver stared down into his tea cup with some trepidation; he was still awful at brewing his tea. It was too bitter. He had asked Lin, whenever he left to pick up their dinner, to get him some tea; but the man wouldn’t be back for at least thirty minutes. Oliver sighed and poured the disgusting tea down the kitchen sink. As he placed the cup in the sink, the phone in his office began to ring.

                He didn’t run. Whoever it was would call back if he didn’t reach the phone in time; if they didn’t, then clearly it wasn’t important. He got into his office just as the phone stopped ringing; there was a beat and then the phone was ringing again. Oliver picked it up.

                “Shibuya Paranormal Research. This is Kazuya Shibuya.” He answered.

                “Oh! That was much better than the last greeting you gave me,” Martin Davis’ kind voice came from the other line.

                “Father,” Oliver greeted. “To what do I owe this call?” He asked as he sank down in his chair. If Martin was calling and not Luella, it was likely about work.

                “Mai Taniyama,” his father said bluntly. Oliver raised his eyebrows. Before he could ask what his father meant, Martin continued, “I received some information that worries me, son.” Oliver stayed silent. He couldn’t respond if he didn’t know what the information was. “You told me whenever I met the girl two months ago that her powers, while latent and powerful, were not a danger to her. You were confident you could train her.”

                “I still am,” Oliver fought to keep his tone even. In the beginning, most of the problem had lain in Mai’s secrecy when it came to her abilities. When she admitted that she had been dreaming of Gene, who at the time she thought was him, the secrecy had made sense. While now the problem was much the same, there was the added complication of her abilities growing. Without knowing where her cap was, training her would be more difficult; but he was confident between Gene and himself, training her was possible. Or, at least, he had been.

                His conversation with Gene had called in a lot of questions that he couldn’t answer and brought forth a lot of worries he didn’t know how to silence. “ _She needed the energy she gave me…but each time I tried to give it back to her, she would cycle it back into me.”_ He had heard of spirits taking energy from the living, but he had never heard of it consistently being given unconsciously. Could Mai somehow feed spirits, make them stronger without knowing? Or was her wavelength with Gene so similar that it came as second nature to sustain him? If it was the latter, that was concerning on its own; but if it was the former, it was even more so. And how was Gene’s energy going to affect her? Was it going to?

                He hated not having her close. These upcoming days were critical for study. If the energy was to affect her in any way it would be now. He had learned from John that Ayako was going to be staying with her, but the redhead wasn’t very observant. Perhaps, he should stop by himself?    

                “And how do you plan to do that, Noll?” Martin sighed. The tone of his father’s voice and question brought him back to the conversation abruptly. “It is said that she possesses abnormal levels of intuition, is capable of astral projection, has post-cognitive dreams, frequent telepathic visions, and the ability to cleanse; and there is even suspicion that she may be a medium and phycometrist?  Son, if all that is true, she is the rarest case of latent psychic ability we’ve ever encountered.” That was not an understatement, Noll admitted. Alone, her abilities were not rare; but together, they made an interesting point for study. Aside from his sympathy with her history, her abilities were part of the reason he didn’t fire her for some of the insane things she did—like trying to exorcise an entire room of clearly vicious spirits or enticing a demon intend to harming her to follow her. “Don’t be angry with Lin, Noll; I am glad that he decided to involve me and I am disappointed that you did not. You should have told me the moment she started showing abilities outside of enhanced intuition.”

                “I planned to if her powers grew out of hand,” Oliver said honestly. He didn’t like this conversation. He could practically feel his father’s disappointment seeping down the line and Noll could do nothing to defend himself. He couldn’t tell his father that he had planned to call himself after the enlightening conversation he’d had with Gene; that would involve _telling his father about Gene_. Most of that conversation would involve things Noll couldn’t possibly have seen for himself; and he wasn’t willing to bring Mai in on the lie. It would be too elaborate for her to keep. She would not be willing to go along; and even if she was, it was simply too easy to catch her in a lie. So, Noll drummed his fingers against the desk and decided to take the scolding. It would kinder to the man than telling him that Gene still lingered. When he moved on, it would be like losing him all over again.     

                “I would say they are already out of hand, Noll. A good portion of her abilities are out of your scope. She needs different instructors, different training, and she needs it soon. I’m afraid you are allowing your closeness with her to blind you to what needs to be done. While it does delight your mother and I to know you’ve found,” the pause over the line was positively loaded, “a _friend_ , I am less thrilled that you ignored Lin’s consul and pushed ahead with your short-sighted plan. I don’t think I have to tell you that such a thing cannot happen again. The girl needs training. We will wait until the summer to start. She will have more than enough time to come to terms with it by then.” _And so will you_ was silently added but heard all the same. _‘Just what has Lin been telling them?’_ He wondered sourly.

                “Very well. I will talk to her about it,” Noll relented.  

                “See that you do.” Martin warned. Noll could hear that underneath the warning his father was confused. Clearly, he had expected more of a fight. If Noll himself had not come to the realization on his own, his father would have gotten one; but as it stood, he realized the error he was making on his own and had come to terms with it. It had been incredibly foolish of him to ignore Lin and sideline Mai whenever she would have been better off in the room. He had allowed himself to forget that Mai would not stand idly by if something went wrong. Of course, he would not tell his father these things; it sounded as Lin had given him quite the colorful speech if his father’s loaded silences were anything to go by. The way his father said “friend” still bugged him as it implied more. Again, that was an argument he could not refute without mentioning Gene. “Now that business is out of the way, tell me how you are doing.” Noll glared at the wall that connected his office and Lin’s.

                “Fine,” Noll said shortly. He had been more comfortable talking business.

                “I trust that Taniyama is alright?” Martin pressed. Noll pinched the bridge of his nose.

                “She was supposed to be discharged from the hospital today.”

                “How are you handling it?” Martin asked. The “it” was obviously his self-hatred for having made the half-cocked plan that put her in the hospital in the first place.

                “As well as I can,” he answered through gritted teeth. “I have disallowed her return to work until her ribs have healed completely.”

                “And her other injuries? I can’t imagine it will be easy for her to work with two casts.”

                “She would disobey me,” Noll said simply though his tone told his father what he thought of that. Martin laughed.

                “It sounds like you have quite the firecracker on your hands, Noll,” he said warmly. Amusement seeped out of his tone. “I look forward to meeting her.” _‘Of course you do,’_ Noll thought with some bitterness. This was, after all, what he had been afraid of. His father was getting _ideas_ ; he would tell his mother those _ideas_ ; and the summer would be filled with awkwardness that _neither_ of them needed. _‘And, apparently, I have Lin to blame.’_ “Well, I won’t keep you, Noll. Remember to call your mother.”

                “Okay. Goodbye, father.” Noll was certain that once his father told Luella about the phone call he wouldn’t be the one getting in contact. Yet another conversation he wasn’t looking forward too.

                “Bye, Noll.” The moment his affectionate nickname was finished, Oliver hung up the phone.

                His eyes fixed back on the emails he had been attending too. He had spent all afternoon answering his emails—requests for aid from possible clients that hadn’t bothered to call; requests for interviews from people in England; catch-up emails from Madoka that he just knew would turn into phone calls if he ignored; and case outlines that Mai had helpfully sent.

               Mai’s work ethic had clearly improved as well while he had been gone; he no doubt had Madoka to thank for that little miracle. Of course, Mai hadn’t truly slacked off whenever he was in Japan the first time; she just hadn’t bothered to make his life easier. She hadn’t taken notes on her phone calls; instead, she just thought to try and remember them off the top of her head or asked for a call-back number if it sounded interesting. She certainly hadn’t taken it upon herself to handle things like false reports; she had gleefully forwarded them to his phone of his email. Now, she was taking notes on her computer of every phone call, transcribing the conversation as they spoke, and making little notes in red font afterward.

                The current and last case in his inbox had a note at the bottom that read: _Masako could handle this one with her production team!_ Noll agreed. He had watched Masako’s show; and this kind of case was exactly what they handled—a recently dead family member and a typical haunting. He forwarded it to Masako’s work email. It was as the email announced it had been sent that the bell to the office chimed. He looked at the time on his computer.

                It was late, but they weren’t closed. He doubted it was a client; it was more likely to be Lin; but since he was the only one here, he couldn’t very well ignore it. He stood from his chair and went into the main room. He had been right. It was Lin who froze in the middle of hanging his jacket at seeing him standing there; a brief flicker of unease crossed Lin’s face before he could disguise it. Noll suppressed a smirk as a promising pastime presented itself.

                Lin expected him to be angry; he likely knew that Martin had called today; and was waiting for angry confrontation. As Lin arranged the take-out plates on the small coffee table in front of the couches, Noll decided that he would toy with him as payback for the awkwardness he knew this summer would hold.

                He said nothing as he sat down beside him. Silence was common between them, Noll knew. Unlike Mai, he did not see the point of filling the silence with meaningless chatter. This silence however was loaded with Lin’s anxiety. The man hated confrontation and either smothered his issues until they could no longer be ignore or confronted them outright. It depended on the problem. Lin kept glancing at him over the meal, waiting for the cool questions he thought were coming. Noll did not humor him.

                After the meal, Noll stood, disposed of his trash, and carried his tea into his office where he promptly got back to work. Or so it would seem. In all actuality, he was watching Lin’s confused demeanor out of the corner of his eye. The only indication that he was unsettled was one eyebrow rising for a few seconds and then falling. Lin then stood, cleaned up after himself, and returned to his office.

                Noll knew his little game wasn’t going to go on forever. Lin was likely writing an email to Martin right now asking how the conversation would gone; but until his father replied, Noll was content to watch the usual composed man sweat.  

X

                Ayako’s leg bounced slightly underneath the table. She could feel Mai’s eyes on her throughout the entire meal and willed her hand not to shake as she lifted the chopsticks to her mouth. How had the young lady mastered Naru’s demanding stare in such little time? She was nearly matching the boss in intensity for crying out loud! Ayako cleared her throat and reached for her tea. She wanted to tease her, but that would involve acknowledging the eerie stare. Once she acknowledged it, she knew Mai would likely pull the truth out of her one syllable at a time if she had too.

                Mai would be happy. After all, she teased Ayako about Monk nonstop whenever afforded the chance. To know that Ayako had feelings for him—albeit as new and young as her love was—would delight Mai endlessly. The problem lay in the fact that Mai couldn’t keep a secret. Ayako didn’t want Monk to know right now. Men didn’t do well with sudden confessions of love, no matter what the media had a girl believe. Monk, no matter how mature he could be, would likely run for the hills if it got out that she loved him.

                “Ayako,” Mai called her name pointedly. Oh god. She had even mirrored the tone! She raised her eyes up to the young girl and found her eyes not on her, but on the chopsticks. Ayako looked down.

                “Crap!” She cursed. She had gotten lost in her thoughts and let the juice from the oden fall into her tea. She redirected the chopsticks to her mouth, shoved the noodles in, and grabbed her tea. She chewed as she poured her now soiled tea down the kitchen sink. Mai sighed as Ayako sat back down. She pushed her now empty bowl away from her and brought her tea close to her mouth.

                “You know you would be less distracted if you just told me whatever it is that’s bothering you,” Mai finally addressed. Ayako met her eyes this time. Now that the suggestion was out in the air, Ayako felt the anxiety and tension she had felt drain away. While Mai had some of Naru’s behaviors mirrored, the girl’s open concern was a reminder that she was still very much herself.  

                “Mai,” Ayako sighed. “Just drop it for now, won’t you?” She knew that those words likely wouldn’t be received well. A concerned Mai was a determined one. For a moment, the two women just stared at one another. Ayako felt dissected by Mai’s searching gaze, but she didn’t break eye contact. Finally, Mai nodded. “Thank you.” She sighed. Her lips ticked into a smile. “You know, you’ve about got that Naru’s _‘I demand you tell me everything’_ stare down pat.” She teased.  

                “Well, he levels it at me enough,” Mai commented as she raised the tea cup back to her mouth.   

                “True enough!” Ayako laughed. 


	9. File 18: The Hollow Space, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mai returns to work after seven weeks away to find a new case and an exhausted Yasuhara.

                 Mai shifted her coffee to her left hand as she opened the door to SPR with her right. It felt so nice having mobility again. The cast had made it difficult to hold anything; but thankfully, it hadn’t been her dominant hand. _‘Poor John,’_ she thought sadly. He was going to be in his cast for at least another two weeks.

                “MAIII!” Her name was all but screamed whenever she opened the door. Her eyes widened as the older boy scrambled up from his desk. She stepped back, but his longer legs would have him on her in seconds.

                “I’m holding coffee!” She screamed back in warning, but Yasuhara didn’t seem bothered. He wrapped his arms around her shoulder and waist and buried his head into her shoulder. His shoulders shook with faked sobs.

                “I didn’t think I would ever see you again!” He cried out, nuzzling harder against her neck. Try as she might, Mai couldn’t smother the blush. One would think she would be used to him by now, but he didn’t often invade her space in the same way he did Monk’s. “The Big Boss had been so mean! I was certain I wouldn’t survive to see your beautiful face!”

                “There, there,” Mai said drily as she patted his head with her free hand. “I’m sure you deserved it.”

                “Et tu, Mai?!” He cried out as he stumbled away from her, clutching his chest. Mai rolled her eyes as brought her coffee to her mouth. “Surely, the Big Boss and you were made for one another!” Mai forced herself to swallow and glared at him over the rim.  

                “Oh my.” There was a giggle from behind Mai. Yasuhara’s eyes darted over her shoulder and Mai turned around. A small, blonde woman was standing at the doorway of the office. Amusement was painted in her eyes. “You certainly are a lively bunch, aren’t you?” Mai flushed and bowed hastily to the woman.

                "I apologize!" Mai cried. "We weren't aware that a client was coming in today! My name is Mai Taniyama; this bozo beside me is Osamu Yasuhara." 

                "It is very nice to meet you both. My name is Andrea Awakusu. I called on rather short notice. Your boss was kind enough to see me immediately."  

                “Mrs. Awakusu, please ignore my assistants' rather unprofessional behavior and come in,” Naru spoke from his office. The glare he cut them both was enough to silence them. Mai hung her coat on the hook and walked to the kitchen to prepare coffee and tea. Yasuhara took Awakusu’s coat and showed her to the couches.

                “It’s quite alright,” the pretty woman laughed. “Things have been rather dark and heavy around my home in the past few weeks. So, the levity is much appreciated. And, please, call me Andrea.” Naru didn’t comment but Mai could feel what he thought. _“That may be so, but this is still a place of business.”_ She was certain she was going to be scolded later. It was a testament to how crazy she had been driven that she was almost looking forward to it. 

               “Yasuhara, you are free to leave.” Mai overheard Naru say as she set the kettle on to boil.

               “Thank you.” Yasuhara said, the relief in his tone was clear. Mai frowned. Had he been falling behind on schoolwork while he was covering for her? Or was it just his relief in getting away from Naru? Either way, Mai reasoned, she couldn't blame him for the relief. She knew how difficult it was to keep up with Naru's demands and your own needs at the same time. Most days, she felt as if she had become an expert at juggling it. In the time it took Mai to brew both the tea and coffee, Naru and Andrea had gone through the introductory questions like name, age, and address. So, whenever Mai returned, Naru moved on to more interesting things: like the reason Andrea was here.  

                “You mentioned an incident on the phone?” Naru prompted as Mai brought him a tea cup. She glanced up to find Yasuhara missing and Lin seated with his laptop on his lap. She poured him a cup of coffee and turned to Andrea.

                “Just coffee for me, please,” she said kindly. Mai poured it and set the tray with the creamer and sugar in the middle of the table. She sat next to Naru as Andrea continued. “Yes. I’m afraid we are still a little shaken from it. I’ll start at the beginning.”

X

                Andrea was not used to the penetrating silence that seemed to surround her new home. She didn’t know if it was the distance from the city that created such unease in her or if it was the grief that threatened to smother both her and her child. She twisted the wedding ring on her finger mindlessly as she stared out the window at the old willow on her lawn.

                It had been nearly a year since her husband died; and she swore she could still feel him. His memory had been everywhere in their old home. There were days where the thought of facing those memories were so overpowering that she thought getting out of bed was impossible; but she had her daughter to think of. The memories, though, followed her throughout the house. So, for the sake of living, Andrea sold the house her husband and she had built. It just wasn’t home anymore without him; all that was left behind was aching echoes.

                Ruri had been angry; and now, a month into their new home, Andrea feared she would never forgive her. The once lively six year old was now spending most of her time away from her mother and more time with her grandmother. Together, the elder and the child had turned the basement into a playroom. It was such a strange place for a playroom, but Andrea didn’t have the heart to persuade them to choose another room.

                She was beginning to regret that decision now. If she had just pushed a little more, then maybe her daughter would have warmed to the house and her by now. Now, Ruri spent most of her time down there. If Andrea tried to play with Ruri—join in the games the way Haruna did—then she was received frostily. The only time her daughter seemed to need her was at night.

_‘Another worry,’_ Andrea sighed. Ruri had been having nightmares. When pressed, Ruri could never remember the nightmares. Yet, Andrea knew they were bad. She could see it in her daughter’s eyes each night whenever Ruri climbed into her bed. Her six year old had become afraid of sleep and the only solution seemed to be mom’s bed. Haruna always clicked her tongue at them whenever she would come to wake them for breakfast. Andrea had tried to explain it to her mother-in-law, but the woman was strict. Her boy hadn’t slept in the bed with her at six, no matter the nightmares. Andrea shook her head.

                She was grateful for Haruna and her father-in-law. If it hadn’t been for Haruna, Andrea would have had to find a daycare in town to take Ruri too. At first, she had been relieved. Money was tight. Now, she was second guessing that decision too. It wasn’t normal for Ruri to spend so much time alone. Maybe having friends her own age would help her?

_‘Oh, Haruto, I don’t know what to do…’_ Andrea closed her eyes and pictured her husband in her mind. Haruto had been great with children, great with Ruri. He had been such a good father and such a good husband. Andrea fingers returned to tracing the ring on her finger. _‘I still need you.’_

                A hand brushed her shoulder. Andrea blinked away the tears that had formed her eyes and turned, expecting her mother-in-law, but found only air. “Huh?” Andrea murmured aloud. She was certain she had felt the thin hand on her shoulder. She walked away from the window and toward the arch that separated the living room from the hallway. No one stood in the hall. Then again, it wouldn’t have been like Haruna to touch her on the shoulder and then leave. She would have stayed. _‘So, did I imagine it then?’_ Andrea asked herself.

                Footsteps coming up the stairs to the basement distracted her from her confusion. There was always that one loose step that Haruna never bothered to avoid. “Andrea,” the woman said briskly once she saw her standing at the archway, “you need to come down here.”

                “What? What’s wrong?” Andrea asked, forgetting about the hand and her confusion, as she rushed toward where her mother-in-law stood.

                “I’m not sure,” Haruna said warily as they walked down the steps into the basement. Once down, she walked to where her granddaughter often hid and lifted the blanket from atop the makeshift fort. The small six year old was sitting among the pillows, staring out into the room. Her eyes were blank and unseeing as she looked right through her mother and grandmother. “She was like this whenever I came in. I can’t get her to snap out of it.”

                Andrea knelt down in front of her daughter. “Ruri, honey?” The girl only stared. “What are you looking at?” There was no response. “Ruri!” She said a little sharper.

                “Ruri,” the child repeated questioningly. Eyes finally turned to her mother. “Ruri. Who is that?” The question posed with all the innocent curiosity of a child stole Andrea’s breath from her lungs. She didn’t dare look over her shoulder at her mother-in-law.  

                “It’s you, silly child,” Andrea said, reaching for her daughter’s hand. The child slipped her hand into hers and allowed herself to be maneuvered out from the fort. “It’s the name I gave you.” She added.

                “Anri is now Ruri?” The little girl questioned. Andrea looked over at her mother-in-law now. The thin hand Andrea had sworn touched her not minutes ago was raised to her mouth. Her brown eyes turned from the confused child to Andrea. The look mirrored her own: fear, worry, and concern. Who was Anri?  Why was Ruri calling herself by another name?

                “Ruri has always been Ruri Awakusu.” Andrea tried weakly. The little girl shook her head.

                “Anri has been Anri Shiki for six years.” Ruri corrected softly. Andrea swallowed. _‘What is happening?’_ She wondered as she felt Haruna’s hand fall on her wrist. Andrea reached down and covered her hand with her own whenever Ruri’s eyes turned up to her again. Those blank eyes, the tilt of the head, all unnerved her; but what unnerved her most was the words: “Can I keep Ruri?”

                Andrea felt the world sway for a second. The sight of her daughter’s blank eyes turned to blackness for a moment. She wasn’t aware of Haruna’s hand leaving her arm. Whenever the color started to slowly leech back into her world, she saw Ruri was no longer in front of her; and she was aware of noise.

                “No! NO!” Ruri was screaming. Andrea turned on her heel, heedless of the dizziness that still threatened her. Her daughter needed her.

                “Haruna.” Andrea called strongly. Or, she had intended to, but the events of this evening seemed to have rob her of her strength. Her voice was lost underneath her daughter’s loudening protests.

                “Stop struggling, child!” Haruna snapped louder than Ruri’s screams. Just as Haruna neared the door, it was slammed in front of her. Seconds after Haruna was somehow blown back by a force she couldn’t see. Haruna crashed down the steps, curling her body around her granddaughter, as she fell.

                “Haruna! Ruri!” Andrea screamed in horror as she raced to the bottom of the steps. She fell to her knees in front of the crumpled grandmother. She could hear her daughter’s terrified cries just underneath the woman. Andrea gently rolled her over and pulled Ruri free. She checked over her daughter and finding her uninjured, turned her attention to Haruna.

                She was unconscious. There was a big bump on the back of the elderly woman’s head and her arm was twisted in the wrong direction. Andrea swallowed.

                “Ruri,” Andrea said weakly, “I’m going to go upstairs and dial an ambulance, okay? Stay with grandma.”

X

                “Is your mother-in-law okay?” Mai asked as she refilled the shaken woman’s coffee cup. Mai refilled Lin’s. Though he had only touched his cup once since the interview started, she was certain the liquid was cooling. His fingers seemed to be flying across the keys of his laptop, recording every word the woman spoke. Once she was finished refilling the coffee, she kindly refilled Naru’s cup.  

                “Thank you. She has a mild concussion and a broken arm, but she should be fine,” Andrea soothed. “She’s with Ruri now, at her house. She refuses to step foot back in mine until this mess is resolved.”

                “Does Ruri still believe she is this Anri Shiki?” Naru asked.

                “After that incident, Ruri was my Ruri again. We were able to coax her out of the basement more often. And my father-in-law installed a lock out of Ruri’s reach so that she wouldn’t go back down when I was unaware.”

                “Did the name at all sound familiar to you?” Naru followed up. Andrea shook her head. “Has there been any activity since your mother-in-law was injured?”

                “Activity is things like unidentified banging; electronics no longer working; lights flickering on and off; and things moving that you nor your family touched.” Mai clarified when she saw that the woman was baffled by the question.

                “Well, cellphones don’t work inside the house. It’s why I have a landline,” Andrea said. “You get full bars outside, but once you cross the threshold the call drops.” Mai looked at Naru as he processed the things he had learned. For the most part, it sounded like all the hallmarks of a poltergeist caused by the little girl. All of the conditions were right. Ruri was certainly under a lot of stress after losing her father and being moved into a new location by her mother; but there was this Anri Shiki. It could be Ruri’s active imagination making up a friend, or crafting a scenario to scare her mother; but again, that didn’t feel right to Mai.

                _‘This isn’t a little girl acting out,’_ Mai thought. Naru’s eyes flicked over to meet hers. He must have seen something on her face because he turned away from her with a sigh and announced to Andrea that they would be taking the case.   

                Mai looked away from Naru and down into her tea. She knew she should be paying attention to the conversation that had begun to flow around her, but she found her attention slipping. Her mind drew unnecessary parallels and contrasts between Andrea and her own deceased mother.

               She could understand Andrea’s decision to move out of the house she had shared with her husband. After her father died, her mother had fought tooth and nail to stay in the house they had bought together; and there were days that it felt as the house was just waiting for her father to return. Mai still didn’t know if staying in the house helped her to move on from it or not; but her mother had refused to leave.

_‘It’s where we decided to start a family; it’s where we wanted our children to grow._ ’ Her mother had said once whenever Mai had questioned why. The answer then had warmed her, but now it made her feel overwhelmingly guilty to remember. Mai lifted her hand to the key hidden underneath her sweater. Her mother had done everything necessary to keep the house. She had lowered the mortgage and taken on a second job. It had been difficult getting by without her father, but they had. Then, her mother had gotten sick and the illness had ate away at her. Treatment had ate away at their account; and then, her funeral had taken the rest. There had been nothing left. No one left but Mai; and at thirteen years old she certainly couldn’t make payments on their family home. The bank had seized the house.  

                “Mai will take down your telephone number for the rest of my team.” Naru’s voice pulled her from the trance she had fallen into. She looked up to see Andrea standing, getting ready to leave, and Naru walking away from the couch. Lin had returned to his office. She flinched. She had unwittingly tuned out the rest of the interview. _‘There’s no way Naru missed that,_ ’ she thought dreadfully as she stood too.

                “Just let me get a pen and paper,” Mai told Andrea and hurried to her desk to retrieve them. When she returned, she took down the name and number. Before she could tear it free, the woman surprised her by giving her an address. Mai blushed as she realized she had missed that order too.  “I’m sorry…could you repeat that please?”

X

                Yasuhara happily started his day off from work with a bowl of ramen, a steaming cup of tea, and his neglected study. Mai returning to the office was heaven sent. He was beginning to think he was going to have to smuggle his coursework into the office. He wound a noodle and bit of cabbage around his chopsticks and lifted it to his mouth as he worked toward finishing the chapter that had been assigned weeks ago.

                Working at the office had highlighted a question he had always put aside: how did Mai juggle her schoolwork and the demands that SPR hefted on her? He figured out the answer for himself whenever he was put in Mai’s shows these past seven weeks. In between meeting with him for tutoring, work, and school, she must pull a lot of all-nighters. This news made her recent addiction to coffee completely understandable.

                Yasuhara groaned as the sound of his ringtone cut through the silence of his dorm. He didn’t bother looking at the number. He swiped the call button and lifted it to his ear. “Hello?”

                “Yasuhara, I need you to investigate a name and address for me,” Big Boss’ voice came over the line. Yasuhara hastily put his bowl on the edge of desk and scrambled for a fresh sheet of paper and his pen. Before Yasuhara could even flip to a clean page in his notebook, Naru was rattling off the address and name. Yasuhara opened his mouth to tease his boss about his lack of game and needing a young woman investigated; but, before he could, Naru ploughed on curtly: “Thank you. I will be calling if I need your further assistance.”

                “I am always ready to serve you, Master.” Yasuhara said, but before he could finish there was a click. He pulled the phone away from his ear with a pout. “He hung up on me.” He complained as he reached for his bowl of ramen again. He let his thoughts wander as he ate.

                Naru’s rudeness didn’t really bother him, if anything it amused him even more. Yasuhara was mature enough to admit that he had been quite the insufferable assistant while Mai was gone; though, to be fair, the Big Boss hadn’t made working for him easy either. “Ten tea trips a day because apparently my tea isn’t fit for human consumption,” he complained around a mouthful of carrot, “He should just admit that Mai had ruined him for any other tea maker.” Of course, Naru hadn’t liked it at all whenever he had pointed that out; but Yasuhara liked to think that Lin was amused. Seeing that vein begin to tick in Naru’s forehead had been the highlight of Yasuhara’s work week.

                _‘And there’s much more amusement to come,’_ he thought gleefully as he tipped back the bowl to drink the broth and slurp up any leftover vegetables and noodles that he hadn’t gotten. Naru had dismissed him the second Mai had returned to work. There was a lot of ammunition to be had there, endless teasing for the both of them.

               He lowered the empty bowl and set it off to the side. He would pick it up later on when he needed to get up again. His phone gave a reminding ping. He looked down to see the programmed reminder about his schoolwork. Right. Teasing Naru and his work at SPR would have to wait.

               He flipped back to the page he had been on in his notebook before Naru’s call. He picked up his pen and began taking notes again on the chapter. He had prioritizing work long enough; now it was time for his schoolwork to take center stage. If the Big Boss complained, Yasuhara would just lie and say finding the information took a little while longer. Or maybe he would simply remind the boss that he had other obligations that he needed to tend too.

                He laughed.

                What a tempting thought that was.     

X

                _Her knees and arms had long since gone numb. It was only the narrowness of their space that kept her standing. The hard wood of the enforced door and the wall behind her was her only support. The weight of the girl in her arms pushed her even more ruthlessly against the uncomfortable surfaces; yet, she didn’t have the energy to complain or shift. There was no point. No position was comfortable in this cramped space. She could feel the rough wood of the wall behind her and knew there were splinters embedded in her arms and knees. The pain of them had long since ebbed._

_She had stopped counting the hours once it had pasted forty-eight. There was no point. Aside from that, her focus was slipping. The hunger pains that had ravaged her being had faded. She knew enough from her nursing classes to know that didn’t bode well. She didn’t know how long it had been since he had shoved them inside and departed; but she knew he hadn’t come back. Not once._

_The only sounds she could hear and had heard for days were the whimpers coming from the girl in her arms. She was such a small child, so hungry like her, and now constantly sleeping. Dread swirled in her stomach. Even though the darkness was absolute, she closed her eyes._

_She had tried. She had been trying so hard to save her, but it wasn’t enough. It hadn’t been enough. She hadn’t been able to do anything! In the end…she was useless. The despair she had been valiantly fighting back rose up within her. The realization had come upon her as surely as the darkness that surrounded them: they were starving to death._

_Their captor wasn’t coming back this time._

_They were going to die._


End file.
